Wealthy Tycoon Pritzker and Ex-Bartender Ocasio-Cortez Ascend as Trump Opposition Figures
Battling Trump: Two Faces of Resistance
The political landscape is ablaze with the rise of new stars in the Democratic Party, as they grapple with opposition to President Donald Trump. Among these shining beacons of change are Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) of New York. Both have catapulted onto the national stage, delivering messages that resonate with a demoralized and fragmented party.
The governor, a seasoned 60-year-old heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune, and the congresswoman, a youthful, working-class newcomer, triumphantly made their first electoral victories in 2018. Both have sounded the alarm for a more robust fight against the status quo, calling out the party for insufficient resistance. Each has garnered the attention of Trump loyalists, who've not hesitated to respond with sharp retorts.
Yet, these two messengers, though united in purpose, present stark contrasts. Their arguments, while overlapping, raise timeless questions for the Democrats: Should they confront Trump's threats to democracy and national stability, as Pritzker does, or expose him as a corrupt billionaire causing economic disparity, in the manner of AOC? What qualities should a powerful messenger possess?
A single Democratic insider marked their similarity: "assertiveness."
Pritzker: Power-Playing Establishment Democrat
Pritzker was born in the cusp of the baby boomers and Generation X, into a dynasty now steeped in Democratic politics. Like Trump, he inherited great wealth, but he denounces the president as a philistine when it comes to working-class matters.
Prior to his governorship, he chaired Illinois' Human Rights Commission. In office, he has championed a minimum wage increase and is an ally of unions. The unionized Hyatt hotels often serve as venues for official Democratic Party events.
Rumors swirled of Pritzker replacing President Joe Biden during the 2024 campaign, but he remained unengaged, swiftly backing Vice President Kamala Harris and hosting her nominating convention in his home state.
"Take it from a genuine billionaire; Trump is only rich in stupidity," Pritzker declared in Chicago. Post-Harris' defeat, Pritzker has hinted at a future presidential bid, stirring up liberal enthusiasm with scathing comparisons of the Trump administration to Nazi Germany[1].
"If you believe I'm overreacting and sounding the alarm too soon, consider this: It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic," the governor exclaimed during his joint budget and State of the State address on Feb. 19. "All I'm saying is, when the fire starts to burn, every good person better be ready to join the fight with water if you want to douse it before it gets out of control."
In New Hampshire, a traditional early nominating state, Pritzker railed against "do-nothing" Democrats, demanding that party heads abandon "decades of stale decorum" and incite citizens to the streets[2].
"Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption, but I am now," he proclaimed. Pritzker urged Democrats to criticize Republicans in public and punish them at the ballot box.
His fiery rhetoric earned a response from senior Trump aide Stephen Miller, who accused Pritzker of inciting violence. Pritzker promptly retaliated, denouncing Miller's accusations as "terrible hypocrisy" in light of the January 6, 2021, Capitol siege and Trump's subsequent pardons of the rioters.
AOC: Progressive Party Crasher
AOC, a millennial progressive with international relations and economics degrees, gained waitressing and bartending experience before entering politics. With the aid of the progressive Working Families Party, she outmaneuvered top House Democrat Joe Crowley in a 2018 primary.
Like Trump, AOC leverages millions of social media followers and is an economic populist[3]. However, she hails from the far left wing of American politics and eschews the anti-immigration and cultural conservatism of Trump's right wing, as well as alliances with billionaire business and tech elites.
Recently, AOC headlined the "Fighting Oligarchy" tour alongside Senator Bernie Sanders, a two-time presidential hopeful. The tour has attracted tens of thousands of people across the country, including many in usually Republican states, with overflow crowds outside many stops.
AOC's future political moves are less certain than Pritzker's. She is speculated to be a potential primary challenger to Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York, and she only recently became eligible for the presidency. However, it seems she is poised to inherit the mantle of Sanders' movement.
She routinely levels criticism at Trump but gravitates more towards broader economic and social critiques that she's made since her first House bid and that Sanders has offered for decades.
"For years we have known that our political system has slowly but surely become dominated by big money and billionaires," she said in Folsom, California. "Time after time we have seen how our government and laws are more responsive to corporations and lobbyists than everyday people and voters."
AOC emphasized her humble beginnings: "From the waitress who is now speaking to you today, I can tell you: impossible is nothing."
Democrats Divided on the Best Approach
Despite their shared opposition to Trump, advisers for AOC and Pritzker refrained from commenting on the disparities in their approaches.
Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, posits that Pritzker could effectively play the role of a "traitor to his class" in the mold of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. An East Coast patrician, Roosevelt presided over the expansion of federal power to combat the Great Depression of the 1930s.
"How powerful would it be if a billionaire was the one helping to lead the charge against corrupt billionaires and corporations seeking to crack the Constitution and plunder the American people?" Green asked. He argued that continued silence on "billionaire issues" disqualifies Pritzker, asserting that Democrats must take advantage of the "shake-up-the-system vibe" among the electorate.
However, Matt Bennett, a co-founder of Third Way, which typically stands behind centrist Democrats, counters that Pritzker could bring a "more stable" version of Trump's argument that wealth and success serve as political assets. Trump's greatest liability, Bennett notes, is a disruptive, detrimental impact on people's lives.
"People express displeasure with Elon Musk, but not because he's rich," Bennett said, referring to Tesla CEO Musk, who currently heads the Department of Government Efficiency. "They're annoyed with him because he's wreaking havoc on our government in a harmful manner."
Pritzker's relative, Rachel Pritzker, chairs Third Way's board of trustees.
AOC's incessant criticism by more moderate Democrats, such as Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, has led to her labeling certain words, such as "oligarchy," as ineffective with working-class voters. This implied rebuke was leveled at the AOC-Sanders tour.
Shortly after Slotkin's comments about oligarchy, AOC posted on social media: "Plenty of politicians on both sides of the aisle feel threatened by rising class consciousness."
Ultimately, Democrats who emerge as party leaders, including the 2028 nominee, will be those who offer solutions to address voter frustration, Bennett asserted. Green insisted that such solutions must necessarily include addressing the billionaire class, along with problematic tax and labor policies that exacerbate wealth and income inequality in the U.S.
Without a doubt, AOC has staked out her place as a formidable national voice, Bennett concluded. "She's very good at what she does. She's a force to be reckoned with. And anybody on the center-left who denies that is just kidding themselves."
- The Democratic Party is witnessing a surge of new influential figures, aiming to oppose President Donald Trump's administration.
- Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) of New York are two of these rising stars, shaping the party's narrative post-2018 elections.
- Pritzker, a seasoned billionaire, and AOC, a young, working-class member, both challenge the party's insufficient resistance towards Trump.
- Both politicians have garnered attention from Trump loyalists, who often retaliate with sharp comments.
- The two politicians, despite their contrasting styles, share a single quality: assertiveness.
- Pritzker, as a member of an established Democratic political dynasty, champions union rights, minimum wage increases, and has criticized Trump for his anti-democratic actions.
- AOC, a progressive champion, has questioned the influence of billionaires and corporations in policy-making, and has collaborated with Senator Bernie Sanders on the "Fighting Oligarchy" tour.
- Pritzker has drawn comparisons between the Trump administration and Nazi Germany, sparking controversy and liberal enthusiasm.
- AOC, on the other hand, emphasizes her humble beginnings and uses them to critique the corrupt influences on the political system.
- Advisers for both politicians maintain silence on their contrasting approaches, with Progressive Change Campaign Committee co-founder Adam Green advocating for Pritzker to act as a "traitor to his class."
- Third Way co-founder Matt Bennett counters that Pritzker's wealth can be used to bring a more stable form of Trump's argument for the benefits of success.
- Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin has criticized AOC's continuous class-conscious critique as ineffective with working-class voters.
- AOC responds by acknowledging that politicians on both sides of the aisle feel threatened by rising class consciousness.
- Democrats who wish to lead the party must offer solutions to address voter frustration, including addressing the billionaire class and problematic tax and labor policies, Bennett asserts.
- AOC has made a significant impact as a national voice, and her critics who deny this "are just kidding themselves," Bennett concedes.
