MS NOW host Jen Psaki expressed concern that the Democratic Party is finding it difficult to gain traction on policy issues amid the persistent dominance of former President Donald Trump in the news cycle. Psaki suggested that media outlets, including her own show, may share some responsibility for this dynamic.
During an interview with Terry Moran, Psaki noted that while Democratic enthusiasm may be high, the party has struggled to define itself beyond being simply "anti-Trump." She stated that it has taken time for leading Democratic voices to articulate a vision that goes beyond opposition to Trump and offers concrete proposals.
"It has taken some time for a lot of the leading Democratic voices to move from just anti-Trump to more than anti-Trump, right? To, ‘We’re not for Trump, but here’s what we’re offering,’" Psaki said. She added that breaking through with policy initiatives is challenging when Trump's daily actions are so attention-grabbing.
Psaki elaborated that it is difficult to book guests or discuss topics outside of reactions to Trump, acknowledging that this approach might be a misstep. "So, I think there’s a lot of factors at play here, but a big one is I don’t think the public knows enough about the Democrats’ plans for making their lives better, as much as they don’t like Trump," she stated.
Moran concurred, posing the dilemma faced by journalists: whether to cover Trump's constant activity or focus on the administration's policies and relevant information for the public. "And, you know, he is chaos and dominates every second of every day as much as he can," he said.
Previously, in April, Psaki commented on discussions around invoking the 25th Amendment against Trump, describing them as not constructive given the unlikelihood of such an event. "I mean, you've talked about the 25th Amendment. I have no issue with people saying they're for invoking the 25th Amendment, but it's not going to happen. So, it's like why are we spending so much time, you know?" she said.