Warren discusses future of Democratic Party at Newsmaker
"If Democrats want to win elections, they need to read the room,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, at a National Press Club Headliners Newsmaker on Monday. "Or should I say, they need to read literally any room anywhere in America that is not filled with big donors."
That was one of the many insights Warren shared, in what was promised to be a fiery speech in an effort to guide the party’s message ahead of the 2026 and 2028 elections.
"This is a dangerous moment for America and for the world," Warren began. "A global contest is escalating between democratic institutions governed by the rule of law and lawless dictators who seek to enrich themselves and their cronies. Here at home, President [Donald J.] Trump's terrorists are driving up costs for families. Millions of Americans have lost their health insurance so that Republicans could fund tax breaks for rich people.”
Of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Warren said it is sowing chaos and terror in our communities, resulting in the tragic killing of Renee Good in Minnesota.
"Donald Trump's view of the First Amendment is that he gets to say whatever he wants and he gets to use power of government to silence, export, bankrupt, or even prosecute anyone who criticizes him," Warren said.
Warren also focused on the criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell that prosecutors opened over his June testimony before Congress about the central bank’s $2.5 billion renovation of its headquarters in Washington, D.C.
"Trump is trying to push out the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board and complete his corrupt takeover of America's central bank so that it serves his interests along with his billionaire friends. And he has invaded Venezuela to boost the profits of oil companies and has announced that he will run the country," Warren said, emphasizing, "none of this would be happening if Democrats hadn't been wiped out in 2024."
The reason, Warren suggested, is that "some self-described experts believe Democrats lost power because we were too progressive. For a lot of powerful people, wealthy people from Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and Washington, too progressive is code used to undermine any economic agenda that favors working people. Look, they put it more politely, but these movers and checkers want the Democratic Party to respond to 2024 losses by watering down our economic agenda and sucking up to the rich and powerful, claiming that a less progressive Democratic Party will win more elections."
They are wrong, Warren insisted, focusing the bulk of her comments on the economy.
"Americans are stretched to the breaking point financially, and they will vote for candidates who name what is wrong and who credibly demonstrate that they will take on a written system in order to fix it. Revising our economic agenda to tiptoe around that conclusion might appeal to the wealthy, but it will not help Democrats build a bigger tent, and it definitely will not help Democrats win elections. A Democratic Party that worries more about offending big donors than delivering for working people is a party doomed to fail. In 2026, in 2028 and beyond," Warren said.
When asked if the Democratic Party would be willing to compromise on social issues like guns, abortion rights, and immigration, Warren said she is focused on the economy.
"I want to be where the American people are right now," Warren said. "What they're telling us across the spectrum is that they are under enormous financial pressure. It is our economic message that has to be the tip of the spear for Democrats. It is the thing that American people are telling us they want us to talk about. And this is the history of the Democratic Party. This is who we are. This is our fight from the Great Depression on through the '50s and '60s. This is our fight. And we have to be willing to lay out, here are the things we will fight for and we will deliver."