Democrats can position to steal one of Trump's most powerful weapons: analysis

U.S. President Donald Trump attends UFC 327 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, U.S., April 11, 2026. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Pool via REUTERS

During the United States' 2024 election, many MAGA Republicans — including GOP nominee Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance — accused then-President Joe Biden and then-Vice President Kamala Harris of having misplaced priorities on the economy and foreign policy. The Biden Administration, they argued, needed to spend more time worrying about the U.S. economy and less time worrying about foreign countries.

Harris, the Democratic nominee, favored military aid to Ukraine but maintained that she had no interest in putting American "boots on the ground" in the Ukraine/Russia conflict. Many MAGA Republicans, however, claimed that Democrats were "globalists" who prioritized foreign interests at the expense of Americans' wellbeing.

Now almost 15 months into his second presidency, Trump is fighting a war against Iran that, according to polls, is wildly unpopular. On the right, the war is drawing scathing criticism from many Never Trump conservatives as well as some MAGA Republicans — including Infowars' Alex Jones, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, and ex-U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia).

Former GOP strategist Tim Miller is very much in the Never Trump camp. In an article published by the conservative website The Bulwark on Sunday night, April 12, Miller argues that the war gives Democrats a chance to "reclaim" the "America First" message.

"President Donald Trump, last week, took to the social media platform he owns to threaten war crimes," Miller laments. "'A whole civilization will die tonight,' he wrote. 'WHO KNOWS?' It was the most extreme example of the derangement of the commander-in-chief who entered us into a war with no clear objectives or goals, the consequences of which are reverberating around the globe. Despite the announcement of a two-week ceasefire, Iran retains control of the Strait of Hormuz — and with it, a significant chunk of the world's oil supply. Even if the Iranians open the Strait and don't charge an exorbitant toll, the economic effects of this war won't be undone overnight."

Miller continues, "Nor will we be able to bring back the American service members who sacrificed their lives for this Middle East misadventure…. This is the best opportunity for the Democrats to regain credibility with voters who have turned away from them during the Trump era. And they shouldn't —they can't — let it go by. Democrats must employ two related strategies to find renewed, lasting electoral success: (1) Take yes for an answer. And (2), reclaim America First."

The former GOP strategist emphasizes that instead of "shunning or mocking" America First voters, Democrats need to reach out to them.

"How do we build a new viable coalition for defeating MAGA?," Miller writes. "And the more that I think about this, the more convinced I am that the only way to do it is to have a Democratic Party that can speak to America First voters…. To be clear, I don’t think Democrats should become 'America First' in the nativist, Charles Lindbergh, Donald Trump sense. No racism, antisemitism, or xenophobia. No pretending like the United States can act as if the rest of the world doesn’t exist."

Miller continues, "No stripping aid from the poorest people in the world or siding with the fascists overseas….. But there's a whole additional category of people out there who just want to believe that politicians care about people like them."

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