Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., has been crisscrossing the country the past couple of months, taking a lead in amplifying the Democratic Party’s message in resisting President Donald Trump’s aggressive and controversial actions in overturning long-standing government policy and slashing the federal workforce.
But Khanna, the California Democrat who’s in his fifth term in the House and who likely harbors national ambitions in 2028, is not only turning up the volume in his broadsides against Trump and Vice President JD Vance, Trump’s heir apparent, but also against his own party.
“We have to have a whole rebrand of the Democratic Party with a coherent platform and a future-oriented platform, and many leaders need to do that. New leaders, not the old guard. And I hope to be part of that,” Khanna said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
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Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., criticizes Vice President JD Vance during a speech at Yale Law School in New Haven, Connecticut, on Tuesday. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
When asked if party leaders need to be more vocal in pushing back against the Trump administration, Khanna quickly said yes.
“We need more from our leadership. And you know, if you’re not willing to speak up about someone being snatched away from their home and deported without due process, you probably shouldn’t be in elective office as a Democrat right now,” he said. “We need Democrats speaking out, not just on the economy. We need them speaking out on civil liberties, on the rights of immigrants and on the rights of universities.”
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But Khanna also praised the recent record-breaking marathon Senate floor speech by Sen. Cory Booker D-N.J., and the large rallies across the country being co-headlined by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., acknowledge the cheering crowd during a “Fighting Oligarchy” event in Los Angeles on April 12. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Democratic Party is currently in the political wilderness, following last November’s election setbacks, when Republicans won back control of the White House and the Senate and defended their fragile House majority. Republicans also made gains among Black and Hispanic voters, as well as younger voters, all traditional members of the Democratic Party’s base.
Democrats have become increasingly angry and very energized in response to Trump’s moves. That anger is directed not only at Trump and Republicans, but also at fellow Democrats. Many in the party’s base feel their leaders in Congress haven’t been effective or vocal enough in pushing back against the president.
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And the energy has been evident at town halls this winter and early spring held by both Democratic and Republican members of Congress.
National polls conducted in February by Quinnipiac University, and last month by CNN and by NBC News, indicated the favorable ratings for the Democratic Party sinking to all-time lows.
And a Gallup poll released on Thursday spotlighted that confidence in the Democratic Party’s congressional leadership has sunk to an all-time low.
Looking ahead to next year’s midterm elections, when House Democrats aim to topple the GOP’s razor-thin majority in the House, Khanna said he will continue his brisk pace on the campaign trail.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., is interviewed by Fox News Digital at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, on Tuesday. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
“I’m already going out to more red districts. We did three red districts in California. I’m headed out to Pennsylvania. Was invited to go out to Nebraska, to Nevada, down south to South Carolina,” he said. “So we will be campaigning in red districts. Thousands of people are showing up. I’m very, very confident that we’re going to succeed.”
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This past week, Khanna trained his verbal fire on Vance as he delivered two high-profile speeches in the vice president’s home state of Ohio on Monday and on Tuesday at Yale Law School, where both politicians earned their legal degrees.
In his interview with Fox News Digital in New Haven, Connecticut, ahead of the Yale speech, Khanna was asked if his attacks on Vance were an early 2028 positioning move.
Khanna responded that “what I’m doing is providing an intellectual foundation for the Democratic Party.”
