Democrats are frustrated.
The party’s donor class is openly questioning whether leadership even has a pulse. After losing the White House and the Senate, and failing to win back the House, they say the party lacks both direction and a message that sticks. One donor put it bluntly in conversation with The Hill, saying, “We still haven’t been able to find our feet and no one is excited about anything. But I think a lot of people are realizing that if we do nothing, we cede control to Trump, and enough is enough.”
That’s the thesis Democrats can’t ignore: Love for the party isn’t what’s keeping the lights on — it’s fear of Donald Trump, now in his second term.
And that fear is tangible. Donors point to an “escalating threat of freedom of speech” as a reason they’ve started writing checks again. For some, it was the decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel off the air after his comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. For others, it was Trump’s immigration crackdown, or even his bizarre statement linking Tylenol to autism. As one donor said, “It gets worse every day.”
But don’t mistake fear for loyalty. Another California donor didn’t mince words, describing the Democratic Party as “incompetent, arrogant, insular and tone-deaf.”
The numbers back up that fatigue. The Republican National Committee is sitting on $84 million. The Democrats? Just $15 million. And while some individuals like John Morgan, prominent injury lawyer, tell The Hill they are still cutting checks, he’s also drawing sharp boundaries, saying, “I will only give to a Democrat if they are not identified as a democratic socialist.”
He went on to say, “The idea of handing a pile of cash to people who spend like drunken sailors … is a bad idea.”
Here’s the paradox: While the party brand is battered — a Quinnipiac poll shows only 30 percent of Americans view Democrats favorably, the lowest rating since 2008 — Democratic voters themselves are fired up. A CNN/SSSRS poll showed 72 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters are “extremely motivated” to vote ahead of the midterms, compared to 50 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning voters.
Why? Because Trump is the great equalizer. No matter how fractured or disillusioned Democrats feel about their own party, Trump is such a polarizing figure that he unifies them. Democrats don’t need to be in love with their party to show up — they just need to be clear-eyed about who’s sitting in the Oval Office.
So here’s the path forward: Democrats can fight over ideology in 2028, when the Trump era finally ends and a real debate over the party’s soul can take center stage. But in 2026, the mission is simpler. Unity is not optional. Call it a temporary truce — progressives and centrists don’t have to agree on everything, but they do have to agree on one thing: stopping Trump’s grip on Congress.
If Democrats want to win, they’ll need less naval-gazing, more coalition-building, and a message that goes beyond “we’re not Trump.” Because fear might open wallets, but hope is what actually gets people to the polls.
Lindsey Granger is a News Nation contributor and co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising.” This column is an edited transcription of her on-air commentary.
