In a press conference focused on national security Wednesday morning, Nancy Pelosi and a group of House Democrats implicitly revealed the theme of their new messaging strategy.
The thrust of their remarks sought to tie increasingly urgent concerns over the Trump administration’s connections with the Russian government directly to the administration’s policy actions regarding refugees and illegal immigrants.
For instance, referencing the president’s recent efforts, Pelosi declared in her opening statement, “It is a vision that says desperate refugee children are too dangerous to set forth on American soil, but hands over the National Security Council to someone who is having secret conversations with the Russians.”
“It is a vision,” she continued, “that disdains hardworking, law-abiding immigrants and embraces Vladimir Putin.”
Several other House members took to the podium, speaking at length about immigration, ICE raids, and refugees all in an effort to argue that President Trump is making us “less safe as a country,” in the words of Congressman Bennie Thompson. Democrats’ conscious effort to link the administration’s Russia ties to its immigration policies persisted throughout the morning.
Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard proclaimed, “Immigrants, Muslims, and refugees are not a threat to our national security,” continuing to assert, “The real threats to our homeland are Trump’s cozy relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, former national security advisor Michael Flynn’s questionable discussions of U.S. policy with the Russian ambassador before the Trump administration began, and the president’s inaction until it was reported in the press.”
This is not a novel strategy. For years Democrats have played up the emotional effects of Republican immigration policies. But Republicans should expect this strategy to intensify as Democrats continue to look to juxtapose immigration policy with tough talk on Russia.
“The Oval Office is not a place for on the job training,” Congresswoman Linda Sanchez told reporters before launching into remarks on immigration policy, quipping, “President Trump’s lies have no boundaries and he’s willing to even target children.”
Democrats are looking to depict an incompetent White House implementing policies that are tough on immigrants, friendly towards enemies, and ultimately counterproductive to Trump’s stated goal of “making America safe again.”
The efficacy of that strategy is yet to be determined.
For now, House Democrats’ overarching assertions that the Trump administration is both incompetent and potentially perpetrating a complicated plot to undermine our democracy appear to be in conflict.
It would seem they have plenty to focus on without muddying the waters.
Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
