The stage is prepared ahead of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Trump's rhetoric has long been praised as refreshing by voters, who resonate with what many said they see as his unorthodox, anti-establishment bona fides. However, there is a difference between Trump as a presidential candidate and Trump as president. It is "him just saying things and not having the power to implement them," compared to being back in the Oval Office, Harrison said.
The DNC's effort, however, will seek to challenge that assumption by highlighting victories secured by former President Joe Biden in his first term, including tightening CAFE fuel economy standards for gas-fired vehicles, investing in EV manufacturing and battery supply chains, cracking down on PFAS contaminants and pollution, and allocating billions of dollars in clean energy and climate spending.
Trump has vowed to undo many of these policies after retaking control of the Oval Office.
To date, he has made good on his promise. Trump used his first week in office to sign hundreds of executive orders and actions, a dizzying flurry of orders that, among other things, sought to crack down on immigration, unleash U.S. liquefied natural gas exports and freeze all congressionally approved spending, if only temporarily.
Democrats, for their part, have sought to use Trump's vice-grip on the post-inauguration news cycle to double down on their efforts to appeal to voters and prepare for the midterms, no matter how far-off they might seem.
This includes focusing on issues like healthcare coverage and medical providers, both of which have suffered "major" disparities in rural America, and where doctors have exited en masse amid a flurry of hospital closures and a dearth of insured patients.
WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY DEFENDS TRUMP'S FIRING OF INSPECTORS GENERAL
DNC chair Jaime Harrison was pressed on whether former President Joe Biden was "bullied" out of the race. (Screenshot/NBC/Today)
However, changing hearts and minds will not happen overnight, he said.
Rather, it will require many conversations from state party leaders at the local level, who can both identify key issues for voters and help recruit good candidates for the upcoming election cycle.
"I think what we have to do is paint a picture for the American people of all the things that we rely upon— all the things that are necessary and needed in these communities, and that sometimes we don't even know are [programs] that the federal government is funding," Harrison said.
"Those things are in jeopardy under this administration."
Rural scene near Janesville, Wisconsin. (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
"We want to let people know these things aren't just happening by happenstance. It's happening because Donald Trump is taking this radical right wing extremist agenda and trying to implement and therefore impacting the quality of your life."
The DNC's effort will also spell out to voters what they say will happen if these policies are rolled back, in accordance with Trump's plans, Harrison said.
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"The second thing is having our cannons— we go out, and we work with our state parties, and recruit candidates to run in 2026," he said of candidates who are well-positioned to speak to the communities they are representing.
In Harrison's view, this will also help explain to voters how Trump's drastic cuts or reductions will impact their communities specifically.
"And then we continue to have that conversation, one-on- one, in small and larger groups with the people in those communities," he said. "And that is how we put ourselves on a much stronger foot going into the 2026 midterm election. "
Breanne Deppisch is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the 2024 election and other national news.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/after-stinging-election-defeats-dnc-eyes-rural-voters-key-2026-midterm-success