Democratic leaders pressured to do more to resist Trump

At a recent town hall, U.S. Rep. Jason Crow blasted President Trump's first weeks in office. The packed crowd groaned as he reflected on the president dismantling federal agencies, his executive orders and the war in Ukraine.

The intrigue: A woman in the front row shouted a plea toward the stage: "What are you going to do?"

Why it matters: This is the question on the minds of Democratic voters, where the administration's war path has carved deep into Colorado's blue-state psyche and workforce.

• Democratic faithful say they feel helpless and increasingly frustrated as they ride aboard a rudderless party ship while Trump acts on his campaign promises.

What they're saying: "They need to block some of what he is doing," an exasperated Marsha Edwards told us at the Aurora town hall in late February. "I want more," she added, but conceded, "I'm not exactly sure what they can do."

The big picture: How to resist the Trump administration is splitting the Democratic Party.

• One faction is taking a pragmatic approach that appeals to voters in the middle, while others want more action, such as protests and interruptions like U.S. Rep. Al Green's (D-Texas) at the president's joint address to Congress.

State of play: The restlessness is beginning to materialize in Colorado after a quiet start. Recent protests on the steps of the state Capitol and at federal buildings are mobilizing critics.

• Mike Mulcahy of Englewood attended Crow's town hall for one reason: "I think it's important to let our representatives know we are here."

Between the lines: The state's federal lawmakers are taking notice. Their sharply worded letters to the Trump administration in its first weeks are evolving into more aggressive actions and language.

• On a giant screen in Aurora's Hinkley High School auditorium, Crow's staff showed a "Citizen's Guide to Taking Action" that listed five ways to get involved. The last one: "Be courageous … Together we have power."

"If somebody threatens this community, tries to take their jobs, tries to deport our law-abiding friends and neighbors, I will fight them with everything we have," Crow said to thunderous applause from the crowd of roughly 1,300.

Democratic U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, who faces reelection in 2026, echoed the sentiment in a virtual town hall this week with Indivisible Colorado, a leading progressive organization.

• He listed the ways he's fighting back in the Senate, such as filibustering Trump's pick for the federal budget office. "We're trying to disrupt business as usual," he emphasized.
• Hickenlooper said he's received thousands of phone calls asking him to defend against Trump. "I think this backlash from voters at Republican town halls is just beginning," he said.

The other side: Republicans are avoiding town halls at the instruction of party leaders because of the organized opposition against Trump.

• U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans (R-Fort Lupton) told Axios recently he is not convening a town hall because he worries constituents' concerns will get "lost in a lot of the political noise."

What we're watching: More than just showing anger, Democrats want party leaders to project a vision for the future that will lure back voters and win elections.

Crow said the party needs to keep open arms to welcome back voters who picked Trump in the 2024 election, not purge all but the purists.

• "If they are in good faith, willing to stand up and join with us to fight for our country, to fight for our democracy, to fight for our community, then I sure as hell am going to welcome them back to the tent because we are going to need the whole organization," Crow said.

In his town hall, Hickenlooper said Democrats need to focus on kitchen-table issues, like housing and the price of eggs.

• "I think our vision for the party has got to be we're fighting for Americans," he said. We have to be "the champion of working people. I think that's how we take back Congress, and ultimately we'll take back the White House."