Former Clinton Pollster Hints He Could Leave Democrat Party As Trump Rises
The Democratic Party has undergone such a significant transformation from its former identity that some longtime members are reconsidering their affiliation.
This is particularly true for former Clinton pollster Doug Schoen, who spoke on Fox News on Thursday following President Donald Trump’s widely praised address to a joint session of Congress.
During the address, Democrats notably refrained from standing for the mothers of two young girls brutally murdered by illegal immigrants and for DJ Daniel, a 13-year-old brain cancer survivor honored as an honorary Secret Service agent. Schoen remarked that such moments could push many Democrats to rethink their party loyalty, including Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman.
“I certainly think that is possible if you look at what he’s said and what he’s done. It’s clear he’s uncomfortable in the Democratic Party, as frankly, I am,” he told Fox News host Laura Ingraham. “I disagree with the Republicans on a lot of things. They go further than I would go. So I cling to my membership in the Democratic Party, but it’s not the same party.”
“It isn’t the party of John F. Kennedy or Bill Clinton. Moderates are really not welcome. And I wish we could have the kind of discussion about issues that most of us want, that President Trump, I think, was inviting from the opposition, that is sadly absent,” he added. “It’s a woke, far-left party that I really have very little in common with, with the party that I helped build and [helped] re-elect, proudly, Bill Clinton.”
While acknowledging differences with Trump, Schoen pointed out that his party has not followed Bill Clinton’s approach when the Gingrich revolution reshaped Congress in 1994. “I disagree with many of the policies that President Trump so articulately outlined, and I think he’s gone too far. But that being said, my party is not doing what Bill Clinton did when the Gingrich revolution came in 1994, which is to offer a set of alternatives that recognize the American people want border security, a reduction in inflation, tougher policies on crime, and immigration reform. Until we do that as a party, we Democrats remain irrelevant, sadly.”
While Democratic lawmakers may have resisted Trump’s return to the Capitol, fresh polling indicates that the public responded quite differently.
A CBS News/YouGov survey, conducted immediately after Trump’s joint address to Congress, gathered insights from a nationally representative sample of viewers—and the results are likely to encourage the former president.
The survey found that 76 percent of Americans who watched the speech approved of Trump’s remarks, while only 23 percent disapproved.
Sixty-eight percent of viewers characterized the speech as “hopeful,” while many also described it as “presidential,” “inspiring,” “unifying,” and “entertaining.”
A majority of Americans who tuned in believed Trump focused on issues that directly affect them, according to the CBS News/YouGov findings.
More than two-thirds of viewers expressed confidence that Trump has a clear strategy for addressing inflation, which began under President Joe Biden. Furthermore, over three-quarters of respondents supported his proposals on reducing government waste, immigration, and border security. Despite media skepticism leading up to the address, nearly one-quarter of viewers backed Trump’s stance on handling Ukraine and Russia, as reported by Breitbart News.
Although audiences for presidential addresses typically include a higher proportion of the sitting president’s supporters, the survey revealed that only 51% of viewers identified as Republicans, indicating that Trump’s message reached beyond his core base.
Additionally, more than three-quarters of viewers approved of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) instructing the Sergeant at Arms to remove Rep. Al Green (D-TX) from the chamber after he repeatedly disrupted Trump’s speech despite warnings.
Trump’s address also earned praise from Republican figures and several media commentators.
“Tonight, President Trump made his triumphant return to Congress to share his bold, optimistic vision for renewing the American Dream,” Johnson stated on the X platform.
“This is the fifth State of the Union address I’ve seen Trump give — it was by far his best,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) added.