During an appearance at Dartmouth College, Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., argued that Democrats have made a massive tactical blunder in how they criticize President Donald Trump.
Moulton said that Democrats need to focus on the areas where Trump is not delivering on his campaign promises, because outrage over what he is doing and who he is as a person simply doesn’t persuade voters.
"One of the biggest mistakes I think we've made all along is campaigning on this idea that Trump is a bad person. 'Cause guess what? People have figured that out," he said.
He went on to argue that conservatives have "made this bargain where they've just said, ‘I know he's a bad guy, I know he doesn't share my values, but he's going to get me what I want,’ whether it's lower taxes or maybe actually some strongly held beliefs like ‘he’s gonna get my position accomplished on abortion.’"
Rep. Seth Moulton spoke at Dartmouth College. (Dartmouth YouTube channel)
Moulton summarized, "So it's not effective for Democrats to go around moralizing and say, ‘Oh, you shouldn't vote for him 'cause he's a bad person, in case you haven't figured that out.’"
He also argued that, ultimately, it’s not effective to condemn a politician for accomplishing the agenda he was elected to do.
"Likewise, right now, I don't think we should be so focused on the outrage at what he's doing. Because, guess what? People elected him. A majority of Americans elected him to do what he's doing," he said. "So let's actually focus on the places where he's not delivering."
After he cited Trump’s campaign promises on inflation and a speedy end to the war in Ukraine, he suggested, "Let’s talk about the places where he’s just not fulfilling his promises. I think that's a much more effective strategy than the outrage that you see today."
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., speaks during a House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials hearing. (Getty Images)
After the 2024 election, Moulton drew backlash for calling his party out for shutting down free speech and being out-of-touch with most Americans, with the demand to allow transgender athletes in girls' sports a prime example.