Congressional Democrats have criticized President Donald Trump relentlessly since his inauguration and vowed to work against his administration at every opportunity. But a majority of American voters believe there’s a better way forward for balance in Washington.
That’s according to polling data recently released by Rasmussen which finds that 63 percent of all U.S. voters believe the country will be better off if Democrats try to work with the president rather than obstruct him at every turn.
Broken down by party, sizable majorities of American Republicans and independents report hoping that Democrat lawmakers will work to find common ground with Trump— but the real surprise comes from Democratic voters, 46 percent of whom say their leaders should find ways to get along with the White House.
Voters also suggested that the Democratic Party isn’t doing itself any favors by working against Trump for the sake of working against Trump. Sixty-three percent of all voters report that the party will likely be better off if its leaders attempt to work with Trump. Meanwhile, 45 percent of Democratic voters believe working with Trump will improve the party.
The polling data should serve as a reminder to congressional Democrats that anti-Trump protestors and celebrities calling for obstructionism, despite the massive amount of media coverage they receive, are actually far fewer than the number of Americans who simply want to see government work.
Still, Democrats in Congress aren’t likely to dial down their anti-Trump emotion any time soon.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) said she was boycotting Trump’s address to Congress Tuesday because she couldn’t guarantee that she’d be respectful of the president.
“The only thing we have urged members to be is respectful,” Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told reporters of the event. “Maxine Waters, as you know is not going. She’s announced she’s not going … because she believes people ought to be respectful to the president of the United States and she’s not sure she could be, so she’s not going to go.”
Other Democrats, like Rep. Eliot Engel (NY) and Rep. Bill Pascrell (NJ), said they will avoid aisle seats during the president’s visit so that they don’t have to shake Trump’s hand.