After midterm sweep, US Democrats split over Trump, cost-cutting agenda

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Speakers at the party’s first major gathering since the election disagreed over whether to embrace a bolder progressive agenda or tack toward the centre. Read more at straitstimes.com.

US House of Representatives Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries (right) speaks during the party’s post-election conference in Denver, Colorado, on Nov 13.

DENVER, Colorado - Fresh from a midterm election landslide, Democrats met in Denver this week united in wanting to deliver voters relief from high costs, but split over how to achieve that, what lessons to draw from their victory and how combative they should be toward President Donald Trump.

Despite the celebratory mood after the Nov 3 rout of Republicans, tensions between moderates and a restive progressive wing surfaced at the party’s first major gathering since its victory, along with anxiety that the party could squander the opportunity voters had handed it.

The gathering offered an early glimpse of the battle to define its future as prospective 2028 presidential candidates and senior leaders debated how to turn electoral success into a governing agenda while navigating long-standing ideological and generational divides.

The conference, hosted by Majority Democrats, a group that advocates for younger party leaders and against left-wing activism, offered a forum for the jockeying now underway as Democrats debate what lessons to draw from their midterm win and begin the search for a 2028 White House standard-bearer.

Speakers disagreed over whether to embrace a bolder progressive agenda or tack toward the centre, exposing competing approaches to lowering food, healthcare and housing costs, while working alongside Trump, who retains veto power for two more years.

California Representative Ro Khanna, a progressive and potential presidential candidate, urged Democrats to stop chasing the political centre and embrace a bolder agenda, including universal healthcare, a wealth tax, a US$25 (S$32) federal minimum wage, deep Pentagon cuts and abolishing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

By contrast, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a moderate and another potential 2028 contender, argued the party should move beyond…

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