WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night, U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin delivered the official Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s address to the Joint Session of Congress. She spoke from Wyandotte in Wayne County, Michigan. A town that Slotkin won, and President Trump won in the 2024 election.
Slotkin’s response focused on kitchen tables issues and economic security, national security and securing our democracy.
Watch and download her full response here
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:
- MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell: “Best response to a presidential speech I’ve ever seen.”
- Co-Host of The View, Alyssa Farah Griffin: “Slotkin is pitch perfect. She gave the Democrats a winning message.”
- Former Detroit Journalist and Columnist, Ron Fournier: “She is the rare Democratic leader who would rather win elections than arguments.”
- U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI): “@SenatorSlotkin is the real deal.”
- U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE): “@SenatorSlotkin made us proud.”
- Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, Michael Mcfaul: “Wow. Sen. Slotkin delivered a fantastic speech. Home run!”
Detroit News: Slotkin rebuts Trump: U.S. democracy ‘precious and worth saving’
- Slotkin said Americans in November voted for change ― tired of high prices and an unresponsive government. But the Holly Democrat warned there’s a “responsible way to make change and a reckless way.”
- “Look, I’ve lived and worked in many countries. I’ve seen democracies flicker out. I’ve seen what life is like when a government is rigged,” said Slotkin, who did three tours in Iraq with the CIA.
AP: Elissa Slotkin assails Trump’s early actions, offers Democrats a way to fight back
- Slotkin, just months into her first term in the U.S. Senate after winning an open Michigan seat despite Trump carrying the state, said Trump “has not laid out a credible plan” to address rising everyday expenses for Americans. She said tariffs that went into effect early Tuesday would only worsen the economy.
- “We can make that change without forgetting who we are as a country and as a democracy,” said Slotkin.
- The 48-year-old Democratic Party rising star spoke with pitch-perfect delivery live from Michigan, a battleground state that sent her to the Senate while at the same time picking a Republican to occupy the White House in November’s election.
- The mindless firing of people who work to protect our nuclear weapons, keep our planes from crashing, and conduct the research that finds the cure for cancer — only to rehire them two days later? No CEO in America could do that without being summarily fired,” she said.
- “President Trump is trying to deliver an unprecedented giveaway to his billionaire friends. He’s on the hunt to find trillions of dollars to pass along to the wealthiest in America, and to do that, he’s going to make you pay in every part of your life.”
- “America wants change, but there’s a responsible way to make change and a reckless way, and we can make that change without forgetting who we are as a country and as a democracy.”
NYT: Warning That Trump Will ‘Make You Pay,’ Slotkin Gives Democratic Response
- Ms. Slotkin struck a calm and upbeat tone in her brief remarks, working to appeal not just to Democrats but to Republicans as well by introducing herself via her national security credentials.
- Slotkin also had a message for demoralized Democrats: “Don’t tune out. It’s easy to be exhausted,” she said, warning that democracy itself was at risk.
NPR: Sen. Elissa Slotkin says more unites Americans than divides after Trump’s speech
- Slotkin highlighted themes of bipartisanship, describing growing up in a split-party household.
- “My dad was a lifelong Republican, my mom a lifelong Democrat — but it was never a big deal, because we had shared values that were bigger than any one party,” she added.
MSNBC: Where Elissa Slotkin won me over in the Democratic response to Trump’s address
- As she ticked through the chaos that Elon Musk has caused with his random cuts through the DOGE and the uncertainty Trump is sowing around the world, I felt like what she was saying would make sense to people who aren’t reading every political headline.
- What really won me over though were her suggestions for how Americans can take action during this chaotic time.
- “As a Cold War kid, I’m thankful it was Reagan and not Trump in office in the 1980s,” she added. “Trump would have lost us the Cold War.”
- She added, “President Trump is trying to deliver an unprecedented giveaway to his billionaire friends.”
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