“In the run-up to the new year,” Justin Vassalo writes in “Will Democrats Gain from MAGA’s Schism over Foreign Policy?” at The Liberal Patriot,”political observers were struck by the degree of public feuding in MAGA’s camp. Some even ventured that there are serious fissures in Donald Trump’s coalition, particularly over what constitutes “America First” and who is welcome among their tribe. Much of the drama, though, revolved around the Epstein files, Marjorie Taylor Greene’s stunning break with Trump, and the GOP’s internecine battles over the influence of extremist right-wing commentators like the antisemite Nick Fuentes—battles that hadn’t necessarily redounded to the Democrats’ benefit in the polls. The question as 2026 began was whether Democrats could find ways to exploit these growing discontents while maintaining their newfound focus on affordability…The potential fallout from the U.S. military’s audacious capture of Venezuela’s autocratic president, Nicolás Maduro, on January 3rd under Trump’s order (without consultation of Congress or a formal declaration of war) could soon embolden Democrats to challenge Trump on his own ideological terrain. So far, Trump’s decision—justified as fighting “narcoterrorism” but evidently motivated by personal animus and a stated desire to take control of Venezuela’s oil—has polled poorly with independents and reinforced the general public’s perception that Trump is increasingly divorced from their everyday concerns…While Trump has unabashedly declared he, as commander-in-chief, is bound only by his “own morality,” many Americans are certain to oppose this further concentration of executive power…And the ire that such an atavistic strategy is likely to elicit from voters fed up with military adventurism, endless wars of choice, and gargantuan, opaque defense budgets presents Democrats with a clear opportunity to cast Trump’s second term as a parade of betrayals. Perhaps more than any other event, the Maduro affair symbolizes the disjuncture between the issues that expanded Trump’s coalition in 2024 and a record that has already disenchanted his “soft” and “shy” supporters. At this precarious moment, Democrats shouldn’t hesitate to frame Trump’s gamble—a reversion to Cold War-style meddling liable to yield major and unanticipated consequences—as putting ordinary Americans dead last…Still, any Democratic strategy to confront the new Trump doctrine will only succeed if it extends beyond raw criticism. Democrats need to convey in no uncertain terms that voters are right to be angry with Washington’s endless policy capture, that their party will do everything to reassert powers Congress has virtually abdicated, and that they will renew the vision of prudent defense and domestic reinvestment that animated Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. Above all, though, Democrats must map a path to security, peace, and prosperity that speaks, with conviction, to American ideals—and relieves the country of the folly and tragedy that have damaged America’s standing in the 21st century.” More here.

Bianca Quilantan and Josh Gerstein write that the “Supreme Court appears likely to uphold state transgender athlete bans” at Politico.”The Supreme Court seems poised to uphold state laws banning transgender women from women’s sports teams even though some justices signaled a reluctance Tuesday to issue a sweeping ruling that could reverberate beyond athletics or threaten states that require schools to accommodate transgender athletes…Conservative justices largely focused on how to apply the absolute transgender athlete bans in West Virginia and Idaho, neither of which have taken effect over the past several years. They took into consideration hormone suppression and mitigating biological advantages, age limitations for sex-separated athletics and whether they should toss the Idaho case due to mootness…“We have to decide for the whole country — constitutionalize this — given that half the states are allowing transgender girls and women to participate, about half are not,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh said…Lawyers backing the West Virginia and Idaho bans asserted that they should be upheld because they truly impact only what they called a “tiny” number of people: transgender women and girls who have taken hormones to mitigate sex differences and who are seeking to play on women’s teams.” Democratic candidates actually have a tougher call to make than Supreme Court justices in their individual campaigns. In 2024 Elon Musk presented Trump with multi-million dollar funding of ads designed to portray Dems as excessively trans-friendly and allowing Republicans to parade around as the macho, straight male-friendly party. Some believe that the ads could have tilted the election toward Trump. Read on here.

Alexander Bolton reports that “Senate liberals tell colleagues to pivot to economic populism” at The Hill, and writes: “Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and other Senate liberals are urging their Democratic colleagues to pivot to economic populism by “confronting” corporate power and billionaires, warning that just talking about affordability alone won’t move swing voters who backed President Trump in 2024…“There is clear consensus in our party for a relentless focus on affordability this year and beyond. We agree. But it would be a mistake to embrace an affordability agenda that fails to confront the billionaires and corporations making it impossible for hardworking Americans to achieve and afford a middle-class life,” they wrote…“Bland policy proposals — without a narrative explaining who is getting screwed and who is doing the screwing – will not work,” they warned…Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), two other outspoken progressives, also signed the memo to “interested Democrats.”…The Democrats cited a recent poll published by the Century Foundation of 1,426 registered voters that found that Americans increasingly cannot afford basic goods such as medical care and groceries and that people without college degrees are twice as likely to skip medication or a meal…And the survey found that voters across demographic groups believe corporations and the wealthy hold too much power and these voters overwhelmingly support policies that put money in the hands of working people…They wrote that working-class voters “see politicians — Republicans and Democrats — cozying up to those same corporations to line their own pockets rather than directly confronting corporate power.”…The senators argue that Americans are “demanding bold, populist economic policies — not just technocratic fixes at the edges — so that hard work is valued and rewarded.”…They argue that Trump’s “campaign of faux economic populism succeeded in 2024” but that it has failed to deliver on its promises to make basic goods and services more affordable, setting the stage for a “backlash” to his presidency and “laying the foundation for a large popular majority to wrestle government back from the billionaires and corporations.”

“Trump Tumbles With Middle-Class Voters,” Isabella Torregiania writes at knewz.com: “According to a The Economist/YouGov survey, support for Trump is slipping with middle-class Americans — those earning between $50,000 and $100,000 per year…The president’s net approval among this group fell consistently over three months: -10 in October with 43% approval and 53% disapproval, then -12 in November and -17 in December, when 40% approved and 57% disapproved…YouGov’s December poll found his net approval among working-class Americans earning less than $50,000 per year sank to -34, with just 31% approving and 65% disapproving…The findings show that confidence in the U.S. economy is falling, emphasizing Americans’ growing anxiety over living costs… While many Americans struggle with rising expenses, Trump continues to dismiss the affordability crisis…”The word ‘affordability’ is a con job by the Democrats,” he said last year…In December, a PBS News/NPR/Marist survey found 57% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s economic performance, while only 36% approve — the weakest rating he has received on this issue in either term…Financial stress is evident, with 70% of respondents reporting that their area is not affordable for the average family — a rise from 45% in June…Additional data from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research also showed a drop in approval across other areas…By December, only 40% of Americans approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, a 10-point drop since March.”