Warren outlines key tasks for Democrats ahead of new Trump administration

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is urging critics of former President Trump to be ready to "fight back" when he returns to the White House in January.

"We will have a peaceful transition of power, followed by a vigorous challenge from the party out of power, because that’s how democracy works," she wrote in an essay published by TIME this week.

In the piece, Warren outlines a four-part plan for Democrats heading into a second Trump presidency. The four pieces are to "fight every fight in Congress," "fight Trump in the courts," "focus on what each of us can do," and "work with urgency."

"We won’t always win, but we c,an slow or sometimes limit Trump’s destruction," she wrote. "With every fight, we can build political power to put more checks on his administration and build the foundation for future wins."

The essay follows a video the progressive Democrat released earlier in the week with a similar message.

Warren, who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, handily won a third term in the Senate during this week's election taking nearly 60 percent of the vote in her state. She has frequently been at odds with Trump, who mockingly refers to her as "Pocahontas" in a nod to her claims of Native American heritage.

In addition to Trump winning the White House, Republicans won back the Senate majority in this year's election. They are hopeful of their chances of retaining the House.

In her essay, Warren recalled Democrats' efforts to push back during the first Trump administration that stretched from 2017 to 2021.

"When all this work came together, we won some of the toughest fights," she wrote. "Uniting against Trump’s legislative agenda is good politics because it is good policy."

She noted that Trump has a deep roster of federally appointed judges and a sympathetic Supreme Court, but legal action can help slow the Trump administration's efforts.

She also encouraged Democrats to be prepared for the midterm elections in two years.

"During the first Trump administration, Democrats vigorously contested every special election and laid the groundwork to take back the House in the 2018 midterms, creating a powerful check on Trump and breaking the Republican trifecta," she wrote.

Congress will return to the Capitol with a two-month sprint until Trump's inauguration. During that time, Democrats will continue to control the Senate and White House, while Republicans control the House.

"Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer must use every minute of the end-of-year legislative session to confirm federal judges and key regulators—none of whom can be removed by the next President," Warren wrote.