Political analyst Mark Halperin said Friday that Democratic senators are concerned that President Donald Trump is dominating the political landscape and overpowering their party.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries both held Thursday press conferences. However, Halperin, on “The Morning Meeting,” suggested that neither of them had made an impact and that they have failed to “break into the conversation” during Trump’s presidency thus far.
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“Both Schumer and Jeffries had press conferences yesterday. Have any of you seen a clip from that? I didn’t show any clips on ‘2WAY Tonight’ because they weren’t that compelling,” Halperin said. “But if it’s not going to be the DNC [Democratic National Committee] chair and it’s not going to be those two guys, if those two guys in the third day of Trump’s presidency, can’t break into the conversation by saying things that are leading the party — and that’s part of why Schumer’s having this meeting today, because there are some Democratic senators who are saying, ‘Where are we? We’re the opposition. Trump is steamrolling over the entire party. We don’t have a majority in the Senate, but we’ve got a lot of smart people here, and they’re not competing.’”
Schumer is calling the whole Democratic caucus together on Friday as his members seek guidance on how to safeguard senators in states that Trump won, Axios reported.
Trump’s second term has been marked by a whirlwind of executive actions and frequent press interactions. His approval rating currently stands at 47%, while his disapproval rating is at 41%, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found on Tuesday.
CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten noted Friday that the president is beginning his second term with a significantly improved approval rating compared to his first.
“Look, the American people really like what they’re seeing, at least compared to where Donald Trump started eight years ago, right? All right, this is Donald Trump’s net approval rating,” Enten said. “This is Reuters/Ipsos, it’s among adults. It was taken the first few days of this administration. Look here. Back in January 2017, Donald Trump became the first president in history to start his presidency with a net negative approval rating.”
“Look at where we are now in January 2025, considerably better at plus six points. That’s up nine points. To borrow a Donald Trump phrase, this is big league,” he continued. “This is a sign that the American people, at least initially, like what they’re seeing. And so you see right here, more Americans approve of Donald Trump’s job than disapprove. And that is very much, very much unlike what we saw eight years ago.”
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