House Democrat: Colleagues need to focus on 'reestablishing our own credibility'

Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) sent a message to his colleagues in the Democratic Party, urging them to focus on “reestablishing our own credibility” and to refrain from solely “bashing” what President Trump’s administration does as a response.

“My party needs to reestablish our credibility on a number of issues. It’s not going to be enough, even if it is strategic and tactical and smart, to criticize what Donald Trump does. I mean, we have to do that and we have to do it intelligently, it’s just not gonna be enough because we don’t have the credibility that we need on issues like immigration, like DEI, dealing with racism and discrimination, like the economy,” Smith said during a Tuesday night appearance on NewsNation’s “CUOMO.”

“I think we need to spend more time reestablishing our own credibility, not just bashing on what Trump does,” he added.

Smith said Democrats should be a “lot more selective” when going after Trump, adding that Democrats’ criticism of tech billionaire Elon Musk’s salute from earlier this month “seemed like a waste of time.”

“I think we need to focus more specifically on issues. Now, when Trump comes out and says he’s just not going to spend money on any domestic programs, that’s probably worth talking about, and it’s had a significant impact,” Smith said.

The House lawmaker, who represents Washington state’s 9th Congressional District, said his party’s politicians should seek to govern “well” and tackle issues such as drug abuse, lack of affordable housing and homelessness, among others.

“Show people that we can build housing. Show people that we do believe in opportunity and personal responsibility,” he told host Chris Cuomo. “You can believe in both and you’ll do a better job of delivering for people if you do.”

Democrats are looking to bounce back after suffering various losses in the November election, including in House and Senate races and losing control of the White House to President Trump. The party is wrestling with its messaging on Capitol Hill while also looking for strong candidates for the 2026 cycle, as the infighting has continued with Trump’s second term well underway.

Smith said the party can push back on some of Trump’s immigration policies while also addressing issues that, in his view, the Biden administration took too long to come around on. He said the party shouldn't be in favor of deporting “every single undocumented immigrant” in the country and blocking already approved refugees from coming in.

The ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee also said the party dropped the ball on border security because it followed the “far left's policies” and that they should admit that to the public to be able to gain back some credibility.

“Now I think if Republicans wanna have a conversation, we need more border security, we need a secure border and we need to admit on my side the Biden administration didn’t do that, OK. At least not until the last six to eight months, alright,” Smith said.

“We failed and we failed because we followed the far left’s policies, OK, on don’t deport anybody, open up the borders for many more asylum-seekers, not being concerned about the volume, OK. I think we need to be honest with the American people,” he said, adding that it is possible to be a “reasonable Democrat like me and still be deeply troubled by the approach the Trump administration is taking on immigration.”

NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group which also owns The Hill.

Topics

Democrats' playbook for Trump 2.0: Tune out the noise and focus on economic issues

As Trump floods the zone in his first week, Democrats are departing from their "resistance" strategy in his first term and zeroing in on economic issues.
NBC News - 2d
My wife, 72, and I, 80, have two houses and 56 acres of land. Our daughter is a joint tenant on our real estate. Do we need a will?

This couple has done a lot to clear the path ahead — but they have made one big mistake.
MarketWatch - 3d
Harrison says Democrats should focus on 'building on the infrastructure that we have'

Outgoing Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Jaime Harrison said in a Sunday interview that Democrats should focus on building on the existing infrastructure from the past election cycle. In ...
The Hill - 3d
Sudan needs our help — now

In 2004, I traveled to Darfur — What I witnessed then was terrible, but what is happening now in most of Sudan is much worse.
The Hill - Jan. 18
With or without DOGE, Democrats need a plan for fixing the government

Before Democrats dismiss the DOGE as just more MAGA trollery, it’s fair to ask — where’s their plan for making government more efficient and effective?
The Hill - Jan. 17
Tim Dowling: our house is destined to be dirty for ever …

There are muddy paw prints on our duvet, there’s tortoise pee on the kitchen floor and moth holes in the carpet: we have no business owning nice things. My wife asked for a new stair carpet for ...
The Guardian - Jan. 11
How many houses need to be built in your area? Use our postcode tracker

The postcode lookup allows anyone in England to monitor new home-building targets in their area.
BBC News - Jan. 9
Democrats, not Trump, have been shattering our democratic norms

Democrats are patting themselves on the back for not trying to overturn an election they clearly lost. Don't forget that it's the first time they've done that since 1988, and that they've been ...
The Hill - Jan. 8
Carville: Democrats have to focus on issues ‘Republicans can’t beef on’

Democratic strategist James Carville said in a new interview that Democrats need to focus on issues that Republicans “can’t beef on.” Carville joined MSNBC’s Jen Psaki on Sunday to discuss what the ...
The Hill - Jan. 6