In a recent appearance on MSNBC's "The Beat," Democratic Washington Representative Adam Smith made a bold statement, suggesting that not all supporters of President Donald Trump are "racist, bigoted morons.
" Smith's comments underscored a growing recognition within the Democratic Party that it needs to broaden its outreach and move away from an overemphasis on "identity politics.".
Smith's remarks come at a time when the Democratic Party is grappling with a significant decline in voter support, a trend that has been evident since Trump's victory in the 2024 election. As reported by Conservative Daily News, the Democrats have been wrestling with the challenge of understanding and re-engaging their voter base, leading to a divide over the party's priorities.
In response to a question about the "single message" Democrats need to rally behind to regain power during the midterms, Smith emphasized the need for the party to engage with Trump supporters. "We have to understand that all whatever 80 million, I think, is the number that voted for Trump, something like that. They're not all racist, bigoted morons. They're not," Smith asserted. "And we need to stop treating them like that and say, 'OK, you've got concerns. We're going to address them.' We're not going to get them all. We don't need to get them all."
Smith's comments reflect a growing awareness within the Democratic Party that it needs to expand its coalition and stop "preaching to the choir." He pointed out that while his district is 70% Democratic, the party needs to reach out to those in areas where it isn't winning.
Recent polls and media commentary have highlighted the Democrats' declining approval among voters. RealClear Polling data shows an average favorability of just 34.7% for the party. In March, the party's favorability rating hit a new low of 29% in CNN's SSRS poll.
A report from The New York Times, released on August 20, revealed that between the 2020 and 2024 elections, Democrats lost an estimated 2.1 million voters across 30 states, including Washington, D.C. In contrast, Republicans added 2.4 million registered voters and gained more new voters than Democrats between 2024 and 2025.
Before discussing Trump supporters, Smith argued that Democrats need to focus on "what Trump is doing and how that is unacceptable," accusing the president of being an "authoritarian" and "turning [the U.S.] into a monarchy." However, he also acknowledged that the Democratic Party needs to understand why voters haven't been "thrilled" with them.
Smith stressed the need for the Democratic Party to change and improve, particularly in areas such as immigration and border security. "We have to change. We have to get better. We have to legitimately address immigration. We have to have secure borders, and we didn't do as good a job on that as we should have," Smith said. "Focusing on identity politics constantly is not what the American people want. All right. We get that. We're going to fix that."
Smith also addressed the issue of crime in major Democrat-led cities, which came under the media spotlight in August after Trump deployed the National Guard into Washington D.C. following a series of high-profile crimes. While Democratic lawmakers and media pundits accused Trump of overstepping his powers, local police data showed a 35% drop in crime in 2024. However, this data excluded certain crimes such as felonies and aggravated assaults, leading to a potentially misleading portrayal of crime rates.
In response to the drop in crime in Washington, D.C., Trump has proposed deploying the National Guard in other major cities like Chicago to tackle crime issues. However, Democrats like Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker have argued against this, citing videos of low-crime areas in Chicago as evidence of the city's safety. Despite this, some Chicago residents have expressed support for Trump's proposal, particularly in high-crime areas.
Police data from ABC7 Chicago shows a 25% decrease in homicides in the city compared to 2023. Over the last 12 months, there have been 474 homicides, while the yearly average between 2021 and 2023 was 722. This data suggests that while crime remains a significant issue in Chicago, there are signs of improvement. However, the ongoing debate over the best approach to tackling crime in major cities underscores the broader challenges facing the Democratic Party as it seeks to regain voter support.
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