Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) painted congressional Democrats as the defenders of democracy in delivering her party’s rebuttal to President Donald Trump’s first congressional address of his second term.
While Trump’s March 4 speech touted his sweeping policy changes as the start of America’s golden age, Slotkin painted a picture of democracy in decline.
“Our democracy, our very system of government, has been the aspiration of the world, and right now, it’s at risk,” Slotkin said minutes after the president ended his remarks.
The freshman senator, who also served three terms in the U.S. House, narrowly defeated former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) to secure Michigan’s open Senate seat in November. The victory was notable given the battleground state’s swing to Trump.
That swing was not an anomaly. The president swept all seven swing states and the popular vote.
Slotkin, alluding to that sweep, said voters “made it clear that prices are too high and that the government needs to be more responsive to their needs.” She stressed that “there’s a responsible way to make change and a reckless way,” suggesting that the president’s changes exemplified the latter.
Slotkin pointed to the Trump administration’s efforts to root out government waste and fraud through the new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, led by Elon Musk.
Noting that Musk’s team can access individuals’ sensitive health and financial information, the senator questioned whether anyone in America was comfortable with that.
“We need a more efficient government. You want to cut waste, I’ll help you do it. But change doesn’t need to be chaotic or make us less safe,” she said.
The mass executive branch layoffs spurred by DOGE’s work have been another target of lawmakers from the Democratic Party. Many, including Slotkin, brought fired federal workers as their guests to the president’s speech.
Trump, she contended, “sees American leadership as merely a series of real estate transactions.”
As a former CIA analyst, Slotkin said she knew what life was like under “rigged” governments and had watched other democracies “flicker out.” She urged viewers at home to become engaged in ensuring the United States does not meet the same end.
White House Downplays Democrats’ Rebuttal, Condemns Conduct
The Trump administration preemptively downplayed Slotkin’s remarks. A White House spokesperson described her in a statement as “another out-of-touch politician that wants to hollow out American manufacturing and let criminals flood into our communities.”The administration also noted that Slotkin voted twice to terminate Trump’s 2019 emergency declaration for the southern border and opposed Republicans’ Secure the Border Act of 2023 and a 2024 resolution denouncing the previous administration’s handling of the border crisis.
“Slotkin has repeatedly voted for open borders. President Trump has moved swiftly to secure our borders with attempted crossings in February at the lowest number ever recorded,” the White House said.
The White House denounced their conduct in a statement.
“Tonight, President Donald J. Trump delivered bold, forward-looking remarks before a joint session of Congress—highlighting the historic accomplishments already achieved in his second term and setting the course for four years of prosperity and strength,” the administration said.
“Unfortunately, Congressional Democrats were too consumed by their own hatred of President Trump, refusing to show support for lowering taxes, fighting childhood cancer, capturing terrorists, protecting women and girls in sports, or law and order—to name only a few.”
During his speech, Trump told a 13-year-old boy battling brain cancer—who dreams of becoming a police officer—that he would have the honor of becoming a U.S. Secret Service agent. Democrats remained seated during that announcement.
