Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Democrats are suffering from an identity crisis and are fixated on President Donald Trump, calling the party "a hot mess" and accusing it of being dominated by far-left ideology.
Sen. Thune told Breitbart News this week that the Democratic Party is "floundering" as it grapples with internal divisions and an all-consuming opposition to Trump.
"They are a hot mess," Thune said during an interview filmed in the Strom Thurmond Room of the U.S. Capitol. "They are really floundering right now and struggling to find an identity. I think that the base of their party demands complete fealty to their positions. Their positions are so far left of the American mainstream."
Thune cited what he sees as a growing disconnect between Democrats and voters, saying the Republican Party has "the mantle of common sense."
"People are looking at us and saying, OK, you at least don't think biological boys ought to be competing against girls in girls' sports," Thune said. "There are just issues like that where the Democrats have staked out a position that makes them not a viable alternative for most Americans."
Thune also said that several key Senate Democrats, including Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Gary Peters of Michigan, Tina Smith of Minnesota, and Michael Bennet of Colorado, are not seeking reelection next year. Thune said their retirements signal weakness within the party.
"They've given us some opportunities," he said. "Again, that's why failure is not an option. We have to get done what we said we would do and deliver on the agenda and work with President Trump and our counterparts in the House."
He added that Democrats appear increasingly dominated by the party's progressive wing, citing figures such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. According to Thune, the shift alienates moderate voters and could make it difficult for Democrats to win competitive states.
"I think there's a high level of frustration on their side. They don't feel led," he said. "Their leaders that are emerging — it's the Bernie wing of the party. I think that presents all kinds of problems for them electorally down the road."
Thune said Democrats are consumed by opposition to Trump, pointing to a recent move by Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., to introduce articles of impeachment against the president.
"I think that is the only thing they have going for them," Thune said. "It really is nothing more, nothing less, nothing else than 'Trump derangement syndrome' that's animating a lot of that behavior."
He warned that if Democrats regain control of either chamber of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections, they will focus on impeachment rather than governance.
"They are still overcoming the disappointment of having gotten clobbered in the 2024 election," he said. "If we don't hang on to the House in 2026, the chief objective of the Democrats obviously is going to be to try to impeach him again.
"We just got to make sure we deliver on our agenda," he said of Republicans.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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