President Trump in recent weeks has seen an uptick of unlikely visitors at the White House and his Florida home at Mar-a-Lago: Democrats.
The latest example came last week when Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser appeared in the Oval Office, all but discarding the hard-edged approach she took with Trump during his first administration.
Bowser was the second prominent Democrat in the room in a month.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appeared at the White House in April, even if she was caught on camera hiding behind a binder.
Earlier this year, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) traveled to Palm Beach to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
Democrats observing the trend said members of their party have to work with Trump on some issues, even if some — like Whitmer — may not want to be caught on camera at a particular time.
“As odious as Democrats find Trump himself, they still have to navigate the world as it is,” said Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons, who served as an aide to former Vice President Kamala Harris. “Everybody is trying to figure it out in a way that’s best for them.”
“It’s a strange new world, and the normal rules don’t seem to apply,” Simmons added.
It is a delicate dance for Democrats, who are tempted to take the resistance movement to a whole new level but are also mindful about the meaning behind the results of November’s election.
Democrats lost not only the White House but also both chambers of Congress last year.
Since then, Democrats have tried to rebuild their party and have sought to rethink their strategy, including their approach with Trump. The party continues to be split on what the right tack is. And some, like Whitmer — who also appeared alongside the president at a recent event in Michigan — believe it makes some sense for them to work together with Trump on specific policy issues.
“Her second meeting with Trump proved that these encounters are intentional,” one Democratic strategist said. “She knows exactly what she’s doing by going to the White House and also appearing on stage with him a short time later.
“That’s not coincidental,” the strategist said. “She’s fully aware of the pitfalls and the criticism she’ll receive for doing so, but she’s doing it anyway.”
Whitmer isn’t the only Democrat who has indicated a willingness — however slight — to work with Trump.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom met the president at the airport in January to ask for his help on the wildfires that ravaged the Golden State. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also have met with the president and dialed him up on certain issues.
Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), who represents a Republican-leaning district, has also defended Trump’s tariff policies, becoming one of the few House Democrats to support the president on the issue.
But some Democrats have taken the polar opposite tack with Trump. They say his first administration was bad enough. Now, they find the way he’s governing as detestable and horrifying and they refuse to work with him.
In a speech late last month, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, for example, urged Democrats to take on Trump in mass protests.
“Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption. But I am now,” he said in the speech in New Hampshire. “These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace. They have to understand that we will fight their cruelty with every megaphone and microphone that we have.
“We must castigate them on the soapbox and then punish them at the ballot box,” he added.
As Democrats search for answers on how to deal with Trump, Democratic strategist Eddie Vale said the best approach is anybody’s guess.
“It is a known unknown as Donald Rumsfeld would say,” Vale said. “The Democratic base — along with quite a few independents and Republicans — are virulently anti-Trump, and there are many examples of people thinking they could get something from Trump and it blowing back on them.”
Still, Vale added that “the next presidential primary is going to be a never-ending obsession with electability and by then, many Democratic primary voters may feel differently about what is best for winning back Biden/Trump voters.”
At the same time, some Democratic strategists warn that aligning with Trump, even in the smallest ways, will come back to haunt those like Whitmer with bigger political aspirations.
“I would encourage these Democrats to reflect a fighting posture to keep credibility,” one top strategist said. “You cannot be seen as an appeaser. That’s not going to age well.
“Mark my words: Down the road, it ain’t going to be a good look,” the strategist added.
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