'Show your teeth': Political scientist reveals 2 key ways Democrats can 'learn from Trump'
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks before signing the "Genius Act", which will develop regulatory framework for stablecoin cryptocurrencies and expand oversight of the industry, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 18, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
Although Donald Trump remains a very polarizing figure, he is also the most influential figure in the Republican Party since Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. Trump's MAGA movement gave the GOP a major makeover in 2016, and Republicans haven't looked back.
In an op-ed published on July 21, political scientist Austin Sarat (who teaches at Amherst College in Massachusetts) argues that if Trump's opponents want to defeat him, they need to study his methods closely and "learn from" him.
"Beyond Congress and the court, it seems clear that pro-democracy forces did not do all they could have to prepare for this moment," Sarat explains. "Trump’s opponents have not learned from Trump how to effectively counter his 'constitutional moment.'"
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Sarat adds, "So what can we do? We can learn from Trump the importance of telling a simple, understandable story and sticking to it."
Trump, Sarat emphasizes, inspires devotion from his hardcore MAGA base with a two-pronged approach: Pushing a message that resonates with them, and not straying from it.
"We can learn from Trump the importance of telling a simple, understandable story and sticking to it," Sarat writes. "Pro-democracy forces need to pick a message and repeat it again and again to drive it home. There is surely no one in America who has not heard the phrase Make America Great Again and does not associate MAGA with Trump. We can learn to appeal to national pride and drive home that national greatness requires addressing the daily experiences of ordinary Americans in language of the kind they use."
Sarah continues, "Make America Affordable Again. Make America Work Again for Everyone. Think X, Instagram, and what works on a podcast. Pro-democracy forces can learn to be as determined and undaunted in defense of democracy as the president has been in his assault on it. Take off the gloves. Show your teeth, take no prisoners. Trump has shown that it matters to voters not just what you stand for but also how you go about standing for it."
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