Exclusive: Shaheen wants Democrats to hit Trump hard on China
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Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. Photo: Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) is urging her fellow Democrats to focus on the threats posed by China as a way to sharpen their message that President Trump's first 100 days have left Americans less safe.
Why it matters: Democrats are struggling to find a unified and coherent message to challenge Trump's plans to impose tariffs and cut foreign aid.
- The ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is arguing in a memo Axios first obtained that Trump's actions are "creating a void" the People's Republic of China (PRC) is eager to fill.
- "The chaos of President Trump's first 100 days hurts the American people. They will see higher costs, fewer jobs and a more dangerous world," the memo says.
Driving the news: Shaheen's office is sharing the detailed memo with Democratic members of her committee this week ahead of Trump's first major international trip next week.
- Last week, she previewed many of the themes for the entire caucus at its weekly meeting.
- "The PRC is the global leader in identifying and extracting minerals and resources. Yet, the Trump Administration has paused geological surveys to search for minerals," the five-page memo says.
- "When America First becomes America Alone, our economy, security and prosperity suffer," according to the memo.
Go deeper: Shaheen and her staff have been on a global listening tour to identify where Trump's foreign policy is hurting America's alliances and long-term interests.
- In March, Shaheen announced she wasn't going to be running for a fourth term and would retire at the end of 2026. But she clearly intends to be an active participant in her party's foreign policy debates.
- Earlier this year, she was instrumental in forcing her party to hold the line on House-passed legislation on the International Criminal Court to force Senate Republicans to make changes.
