Some top Democrats at the Hill Nation Summit on Wednesday offered rare praise for President Donald Trump as the party looks to regroup after getting wiped out in 2024.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) called Trump “a very talented politician,” and Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), who leads Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee, gave Trump credit for his foreign policy decisions. including the Middle East, The Hill reported.
The remarks mark a shift in tone as Democrats try to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it before the 2026 midterms. Republicans hold a 220–212 majority in the House, and Democrats are scrambling to close the gap.
“Donald Trump’s a very talented politician, right?” Khanna said. “I don’t agree with him as a leader. He’s a very talented politician.”
He said it while seated next to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and socialist Zohran Mamdani and even praised Trump’s ability to connect with voters across the political divide.
Later, Khanna made a sharp admission.
“We acted as if the problem was the voters,” he said. “The problem was the party, and we acted with a condescension and a judgment on voters.”
The moments of reflection come as Democrats are at their lowest favorability in decades. Internal tensions are boiling, and activists are pushing for a full leadership shake-up.
“You can’t understand how to win by repeating losing behavior,” Democratic strategist Fred Hicks said. “You have to study winners. And the reality is that Trump has won two of his three elections.”
Khanna also hit his party over economics, saying Democrats “have not had a compelling economic vision for years.” While he hasn’t announced any 2028 plans, he hinted at stepping up with a new plan.
Meanwhile, Himes gave Trump rare credit on foreign policy, especially the president’s surprise pivot on Syria.
“I could spend the next hour talking about things I don’t like about this presidency or about MAGA,” Himes said. “But I will give him some real credit on foreign policy.”
He cited Trump’s decision to end sanctions on Syria after the Assad regime’s collapse and added that U.S. and Israeli strikes have “meaningfully” set back Iran’s nuclear program.
“Whether ‘meaningfully’ is six months or six years is still very much open to question,” Himes added.
Some Democrats say admitting when the other side scores wins could help rebuild trust with voters and signal they’re serious about change.
“The problem in American politics right now is that if your team runs the play, then it’s OK; if the other team does it, then it’s not,” Hicks said.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) also touted working with Republicans, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), on the “Take It Down” Act — a bipartisan bill Trump signed this spring to criminalize deepfake revenge porn.
“We’ve worked together on a number of these issues,” Klobuchar said. “He’s been willing to stand up.”
Democrats now hope to capitalize on typical midterm backlash against the party in power. But they’ve got work to do after bleeding support in swing states and even among key blue constituencies.
“There’s certainly a lot to learn from Trump’s political career and his style,” strategist Antjuan Seawright said. “You don’t have to keep doing business as usual — but you must master doing unusual business.”
Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) said Democrats also need to modernize their media game as Republicans continue to dominate online.
Still, he believes the president’s so far modest approval slide could give Democrats the opening they need.
“He’s hurting himself a lot,” Ivey said. “If we layer on top of that an affirmative message … we could really have very strong gains.”
Polls have shown Trump’s disapproval rating ticking up, with The Economist/YouGov survey marking his highest negative rating since his second term began.
“If you want to turn voters out, get ‘em angry, get ‘em excited,” Ivey said.