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Your guide to what the American elections mean 2024 for Washington and the world

Donald Trump’s speech, which recorded 100 minutes on Tuesday to a joint joint session of Congress that was conducted in a curious and worthy scene-and I do not even refer to (it can be predicted to a large extent) Braggadocio and Balneyy Coming from the man stands at the representative of the speaker.

No, it was the collection of many Democrats in the room that really made me outperform. Many people who practice paintings that read things like “This is a lie”, “Musk stealing” and “This is not normal”, which were designed like student demonstrators at different points during the Trump title.

Several members of Congress and Democratic Women coordinated their clothes in a series of different-black colors “to meet the political moment”, Apparently. The pink color was worn as “protest, power and perseverance”, according to the New Mexico Teresa Lieg Fernadies. “It is time for the opposition to decline and reach Trump loudly and clearly,” she told Time, without any feeling of paradox.

It was far from the only attempt by the Democrats in obtaining attention during the past week. What seemed to be a kind of pre -emptive refute of the president’s speech to Congress, more than 20 Democratic Senate members launched an attack on the concerted social media on Trump. “This is not true, this is what I have just seen.”

Then on Thursday, a video clip on Tiktok was posted from many members of the Democratic Parliament, including Alexandria Okasio Cortez, where he pretends to be video games, along with the illustrations “Choose your fighter”. “Our team will be in power forever if this is our opposition,” to publish The right -wing account “Wokeness”.

It is difficult to disagree. The Democrats urgently need a convincing opposition to the Trump administration. However, if I may adopt the ringtone of the Senate members, This is not, president. How many Trump’s voters think they will win with these exciting works? The fact that the Democrats may believe in them a good idea indicating that the lessons from November election It has not yet been learned.

And let us be clear: things are not going well for the party. Record 21 percent Voters are satisfied with the way Democrats in Congress deals with the job, according to the University of Koinibiac. The record number 40 percent of voters agree to the performance of Republicans in Congress.

Yougov Favourability Tracker It appears that Democrats are more popular than any other point since at least January 2017.

Part of their problem is that there is no clear leader of the opposition – formally or otherwise. In the first two months of atmosphere in 2021, about half of news reports were reported by President Trump, According to Bayu. Democrats currently have no similar personality.

So what can they do? There were suggestions – including from a former member of Congress Welli Nickel And historian Timothy Snyder What the United States needs is a kind of shade cabinet, like those we have in Britain. This amazes me as a very good idea, because this means that an alternative view was always available.

Democrats may also show more courage in the way they communicate: instead of carefully tested TV interviews, they can allow themselves to speak more freely on long podcasts like Joe Rogan. There are preliminary signs of change: California Governor Gavin News, who is a potential candidate for democratic nomination in 2028, launched his own podcast this week, and promised to invite the guests “he does not agree with them deeply.” But by largely avoiding such discussions, Democrats seem as if they do not know what they support and are afraid of falling.

This takes us to the essence of the matter: Democrats urgently need to provide a positive vision of their values ​​and ideas. Instead of a continuous stream of washing Trump, they must say what they will do differently-especially when they are against a man who knows how to do He strongly informed his message.

“Orange Man Bad” does not work. Democrats need a dangerous alternative to Maga. Wearing identical colors and pronounced insults of the camera does not in fact fulfill the political moment.

jemima.kelly@ft.com