Democrats rally at No Kings to protest Trump — but many say they're also unhappy with their own party (schaudenfreud alert)

… “I don’t have a lot of faith in the Democrats right now,” Alex, a construction worker who traveled to Washington from northern Virginia on Saturday and declined to provide his last name, told NBC News. “They don’t have — they don’t seem to have a lot of spine or a single message. They’re just too disorganized to put up a good fight against this bulls---.”

“It pains me to say it, but Trump’s goons are f-----g organized compared to the Dems right now,” he added.

Clark Furey, 40, who lives in Washington, called on elected Democrats to “throw some more elbows.”

“We’re just taking it on the chin, and we’re not speaking out,” he told NBC News while attending the rally with his dog, Scooby. “You know, I think we need to throw some more elbows. Unfortunately, the high road doesn’t work.”

Scott, 45, who lives in Washington and attended Saturday’s rally but didn’t want to share his last name, said he felt that Democrats were almost as bad as Republicans.

“By and large, the Democratic Party is also bought by corporate interests, and they fail to stand up for the average working people,” he told NBC News.

Amanda Nataro, 41, who lives in Washington and lost her government job earlier this year when the Trump administration made deep cuts to USAID, said she perceived Democrats to be too scared about losing their elections to stand up to Republicans.

In response to questions from NBC News about whose work they are satisfied with in their party, demonstrators repeatedly threw out the names of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sen. Chris Murphy, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost, Mamdani and Michigan Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow.

pbs.org
Aug 3, 2025

‘They roll right over’: Many Democrats think their party is weak, AP-NORC poll finds

WASHINGTON (AP) — Many Democrats see their political party as “weak” or “ineffective,” according to a poll that finds considerable pessimism within Democratic ranks. Republicans are more complimentary of their party, although a small but significant share describe the GOP as “greedy” or say it is generally “bad.”

The poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in July reveals warning signs for both major U.S. parties as the political focus shifts to elections in New Jersey and Virginia this fall and the midterm contests next year.

Respondents were asked to share the first word or phrase that came to mind when they thought of the Republican and Democratic parties. Answers were then sorted into broad categories, including negative and positive attributes. Overall, U.S. adults held a dim view of both parties, with about 4 in 10 using negative attributes, including words such as “dishonest” or “stupid.”

WATCH: How young Democratic candidates are pushing to redefine the party’s future

But nearly nine months after Republican Donald Trump won a second presidential term, Democrats appear to be harboring more resentment about the state of their party than do Republicans. Democrats were likelier to describe their own party negatively than Republicans. Republicans were about twice as likely to describe their own party positively.

“They’re spineless,” Cathia Krehbiel, a 48-year-old Democrat from Indianola, Iowa, said of her party. She believes the party’s response to the Trump administration has been “scattershot.” “I just feel like there’s so much recently that’s just going abhorrently wrong,” Krehbiel said. “And they speak up a little bit and they roll right over.”

Democrats speak out against their own party: Overall, roughly one-third of Democrats described their party negatively in the open-ended question. About 15% described it using words like “weak,” or “apathetic,” while an additional 10% believe it is broadly “ineffective” or “disorganized.”

Only about 2 in 10 Democrats described their party positively, with roughly 1 in 10 saying it is “empathetic,” or “inclusive.” An additional 1 in 10 used more general positive descriptors.

It is unclear what impact the Democrats’ angst may have on upcoming elections or the political debate in Washington, but no political organization wants to be plagued by internal divisions.

Still, the Democrats’ frustration appears to reflect their concern that party leaders are not doing enough to stop Trump’s GOP, which controls Washington.

There is little sign that such voters would abandon their party in favor of Trump’s allies in upcoming elections, and the vast majority of Democrats described the GOP negatively. But disaffected Democrats might decide not to vote at all. That could undermine their party’s push to reclaim at least one chamber of Congress in 2026.

Jim Williams, a 78-year-old retiree from Harper Woods, Michigan said he typically supports Democrats, but he is “disappointed” with the party and its murky message. He feels much worse about the Republican Party, which he said “has lost it” under Trump’s leadership.

“All he does is bully and call names. They’ve got no morals, no ethics. And the more they back him, the less I like them,” the self-described independent, said of Trump.

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