Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) Delivered the democratic response to President Donald Trump on Tuesday on Tuesday, criticizing his economic policies, his immigration position and his approach to foreign policy while positioning his party as an alternative responsible for his management.
Slotkin, moderate democrat and former CIA analyst, used his refutation to defend bipartite values and invoked former Republican president Ronald Reagan to compare Trump’s policies with previous conservative principles.
Economic and critical concerns of Trump policies
Slotkin focused strongly on economic issues, warning that Trump’s policies could push the United States to a recession.
“If he does not pay attention, he could walk us directly in a recession,” said Slotkin, criticizing Trump for the increase in costs and the lack of a credible plan to facilitate financial charges.
She highlighted the fact that the prices of the grocery and housing remain high, certain articles, such as eggs, increasing the costs under the direction of Trump.
“Does his plans help the Americans move forward? Not even get closer,” she said.
Recognizing that voters have given priority to the economy in the last elections, Slotkin suggested that Democrats have lost support because they have not adequately responded to economic concerns. She promised that her party would do better in the years to come.
Immigration and government efficiency
Slotkin also discussed immigration, an area where Democrats have struggled to question the Republicans.
“The border without really repairing our broken immigration system deals with the symptom, not from America. America is a nation of immigrants,” she said, accusing Trump’s administration of lack of empathy to undocumented immigrants.
It also targeted the Ministry of Government Effectiveness (DOGE), a cost reduction initiative led by Elon Musk, arguing that if a reform is necessary, it should not create instability or reduce public security.
Reagan foreign policy and comparison
Slotkin particularly criticized Trump management of American foreign policy, invoking his tense meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week, which led Trump to suspend all American aid to Ukraine.
She invoked Reagan’s legacy, suggesting that the republican party of the past would have adopted a different approach.
“After the show that just took place in the Oval office last week, Reagan has to turn into his grave,” she said.
Slotkin argued that real strength obliges the United States to combine military and economic power with moral clarity, a principle that she said that Reagan understood, but Trump did not defend.
She also accused Trump of alienating the American allies, declaring:
“He believes in making fun of dictators like Vladimir Putin and kicks to our friends, like Canada, in his teeth.”
Slotkin’s history and the choice of democratic leadership
For many Americans on Tuesday evening marked its first introduction to Slotkin, who was elected to the American Senate of Michigan in 2024.
Former CIA analyst commonly in Arabic and Swahili, Slotkin has toured three tours in Iraq and held national security positions under the presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Later, she served in the Pentagon as an acting assistant secretary for defense for international security affairs.
She was elected for the first time at Congress in 2018, overthrowing a headquarters of the room with the Republican before winning the race for the Senate in 2024.
The Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, called Slotkin as a “rising star” during the announcement of his selection to deliver democratic refutation, citing his expertise on issues of economic and national security.
Democrat strategy in the future
Slotkin’s measured tone contrasts with the more aggressive approach of certain Democrats, who heckled Trump and came out of his speech. His selection to deliver the party’s response reports a strategic effort to call on moderate voters who may have supported Trump in the November elections.
She closed her remarks by urging Americans to reconsider the Democratic Party and trust them to govern in a responsible manner.
“I promise that I and my democratic colleagues will do everything in our power to be the leaders of principle that you deserve,” she said.
