Democrat Politics

Some of the most outspoken Democratic critics of President Donald Trump’s reckless and dangerous agenda were also this quarter’s biggest fundraising winners.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, one of the country’s most prominent progressives, pulled in a staggering $9.6 million in the first three months of 2025, more than doubling her previous high of $4.4 million, set during summer 2020. 

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The surge reflects Ocasio-Cortez’s rising influence as the Democratic Party grapples with how to confront Trumpism while also navigating calls for generational change. She’s been crisscrossing the country with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, drawing large crowds—even in deep-red states. According to her campaign manager, 64% of her first-quarter donors were first-time contributors.

“The people are sending Democrats a message about the direction they would like to see,” Faiz Shakir, a Sanders’ adviser and a former candidate to lead the Democratic National Committee, wrote on X in response to the news.

Meanwhile, Sanders, who isn’t up for reelection until 2030 and hasn’t said whether he’ll run again, raised an eye-popping $11.5 million this quarter.

Other prominent Trump critics posted similarly strong numbers. Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, also not up again until 2030, brought in $8.0 million.

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Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who’s gained national attention for grilling Republicans like Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Elon Musk, raised over $1.6 million—more than doubling her previous record of $863,000. It’s also the first time she’s hit a seven-figure quarterly haul.

Fellow Texas Democrat Al Green, who was censured after protesting Trump’s lie-filled speech to Congress in March, raised $359,000, more than doubling his previous record of $167,000.

And in preparing for a bruising fight next year, Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia pulled in over $11.1 million this past quarter—a sum his campaign is touting as a first-quarter record for an incumbent in a nonelection year. The race in the Peach State is still taking shape, with Republicans increasingly desperate to find a candidate capable of challenging the popular Democrat.

The message from Democratic donors is simple: Stand up to Trump, and they’ll have your back. A new Civiqs poll for Daily Kos finds that just 46% of registered voters approve of Trump’s job performance, while 53% disapprove. According to the survey, voters are particularly concerned about his reckless tariffs driving up prices and his administration’s recent high-profile blunders. So it’s no surprise that some of the most vocal anti-Trump Democrats are among the biggest first-quarter fundraisers.

Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey speaks on the Senate floor on April 1.

That momentum could carry into the next quarter, especially for those who’ve made waves recently, like Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, whose fiery floor speech came after the first-quarter deadline.

That said, many Republicans posted big numbers too. While Democrats outpaced GOP House candidates overall, Republican Senate candidates outraised their Democratic counterparts. The National Republican Congressional Committee reported a record $36.7 million raised in the first quarter of 2025, with $23.9 million cash on hand as it fights to protect the House majority.

Vulnerable House Republicans also performed well in fundraising. Four of the seven GOP incumbents—Reps. Juan Ciscomani of Arizona, Jen Kiggans of Virginia, Mike Lawler of New York, and Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa—each raised over $1 million this part quarter. These lawmakers are all running in toss-up districts, as defined by the nonpartisan election prognosticator Inside Elections.

Other top GOP fundraisers included House Speaker Mike Johnson, who brought in $3.2 million, and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, who raised $1.2 million in a district Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris narrowly carried in 2024.

In the Senate, some Republicans posted strong numbers, too. Sen. Thom Tillis, expected to face a tough race in 2026, raised $2.2 million and has over $4 million in the bank. Sen. Susan Collins, a frequent Trump critic who still largely votes with her party, brought in about $842,000. 

But of course, Republicans have the world’s richest person in their corner. Megabillionaire Elon Musk has personally donated to nearly two dozen GOP congressional candidates, according to CNN, including Greene and Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley.

But even without a tech mogul bankrolling their campaigns, progressive Democrats are holding their own—raising big money and showing the base is ready to rally behind those willing to fight.

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A cartoon by Clay Jones.

Related | Bukele and Trump pretend they can’t return wrongfully deported man

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After arriving in El Salvador Wednesday, Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland was denied his request to speak with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was wrongly deported to El Salvador and is currently being kept in the notoriously violent prison, CECOT.

Van Hollen, who made the trip to El Salvador with a delegation of Democratic lawmakers, told reporters that he was unable to speak with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele but did speak with Vice President Félix Ulloa. During their conversation, Van Hollen asked for clarification as to why Garcia, a legal resident of Maryland, remained in CECOT despite having no charges filed against him. 

“His answer was that the Trump administration is paying El Salvador, the government of El Salvador, to keep him at CECOT,” Van Hollen said.

Garcia, a father who is married to a U.S. citizen and has work documentation from the Department of Health and Human Services, was erroneously detained and illegally deported by the Trump administration in March. 

An undated photo of Kilmar Abrego Garcia

Despite the error, both President Donald Trump and Bukele have refused to facilitate Garcia’s court-ordered release, fallaciously characterizing him as a “terrorist.”

And while Van Hollen is getting the runaround from the Salvadoran government, Republican Reps. Riley Moore of West Virginia and Jason Smith of Missouri have been touring CECOT, boasting about it in disturbingly enthusiastic social media posts. 

CECOT, by the Holocaust Museum’s definition, is a concentration camp.

Evil influencer Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem initiated this torture tourism trend with her CECOT visit last month, making videos in front of dozens of immigrants stuffed into overcrowded prison cells. 

Meanwhile, Van Hollen says that, while Ulloa could not arrange a direct phone call with Garcia, he suggested that the U.S. embassy could perhaps make the request. 

“I don’t know about his health status—that’s why I wanted to meet with him directly,” Van Hollen told reporters.

GOP lawmakers appear focused on capitalizing on this disturbing spectacle, while Democrats seem to be the only ones trying to address the wrongful detention of a legal U.S. resident.

And if Trump’s own words are a sign of what’s to come, U.S. citizens might be next.

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A GOP congressman victim-blamed Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania for the arson attack at the governor’s residence, saying that Shapiro’s outspokenness against President Donald Trump is what led Shapiro and his family to nearly be burned to death in their home.

“The left’s got to look in the mirror here,” Republican Rep. Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania said in a radio interview. “Our hearts go out to the Shapiro family on this, but you know, they gotta tone it down too. I mean, every action Josh Shapiro has taken so far against the president has either been a lawsuit or a falsehood.”

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The alleged assailant told police he set fire to the governor’s mansion the night Shapiro and his family were celebrating Passover because of his “hatred towards Governor Shapiro,” who is Jewish.

Police say the suspect, Cody Balmer, told 911 operators that he set the fire in part because he “will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people,” referring to Shapiro, according to the news outlet PennLive.

Shapiro believes in Israel’s right to exist and supports a two-state solution in which the Palestinian people are given their own state alongside Israel. However, as governor of the Keystone State, Shapiro has no say over Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip or U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Trump has said little about the attempt on Shapiro’s life, only noting that the attacker was a “whack job” and “not a fan of Trump.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi also downplayed the attack, stopping short of calling the attempt on Shapiro’s life an act of domestic terrorism. Bondi, however, believes protesting at Tesla dealerships is domestic terrorism, saying in a video statement: “I’ve made it clear: If you take part in the wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, we will find you, arrest you, and put you behind bars.”

Democrats, for their part, slammed Meuser for blaming Shapiro for the assassination attempt.

“Rep. Dan Meuser’s response to the arson at Governor Shapiro’s home? Telling him to ‘tone it down.’ Instead of showing leadership, Meuser chose to blame the victim. Republicans like Meuser keep saying the quiet part out loud,” the Pennsylvania Democratic Party wrote in a post on X.

Shapiro himself responded to Mesuer’s comment, telling reporters on Wednesday, “ I’ve said for years leaders have a responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity. It would appear that the congressman failed to measure up to that.”
 

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A daily roundup of the best stories and cartoons by Daily Kos staff and contributors to keep you in the know.

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Looks like President Donald Trump might be finally losing patience with his multibillionaire adviser Elon Musk. According to Axios, the president personally blocked his onetime “first buddy” from attending a top-secret Pentagon briefing about the military’s plans for China.

Musk was slated to join the March meeting, but when details leaked to the press, Trump reportedly snapped.

“What the fuck is Elon doing there? Make sure he doesn’t go,” Trump said, according to a top official who recounted the event to Axios.

The same official tried to downplay the snub.

“POTUS still very much loves Elon, but there are some red lines,” they said. “Elon has a lot of business in China, and he has good relations there, and this briefing just wasn’t the right thing.” 

Sure. 

The leak in question came from The New York Times, which accurately reported that Musk was set to receive a classified Pentagon briefing on U.S. war plans for China—a stunning national security breach considering Musk holds no public office and has deep financial ties to Beijing. 

People rally at Health and Human Services headquarters to protest the polices of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk on Feb. 19.

Even Trump seemed to realize how bad it looked and publicly claimed Musk’s business interests made his presence inappropriate. 

“Elon has businesses in China,” Trump told reporters in March. “And he would be susceptible, perhaps, to that.”

So, while Musk did meet with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that day, Axios reports China war plans weren’t discussed. Instead, the focus was China’s growing military threat, which is still a wild level of access for a private citizen.

When the Times’ story broke, Trump called their reporting “completely untrue” and slammed the outlet as “Fake News.” Musk also denied it, calling the piece “pure propaganda” on X.

“I look forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information to NYT,” Musk wrote. “They will be found.”

He might be getting his wish. This week, Hegseth suspended at least three Pentagon officials in the wake of an internal leak probe related not just to the Musk briefing, but to sensitive operations in the Panama Canal, the Red Sea, and Ukraine. 

The irony? Hegseth himself reportedly discussed wartime strategy in a Signal group chat while unaware that a reporter was present, and faced no punishment.

Hegseth’s crackdown is part of a broader White House effort to hunt down leakers. Earlier this month, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard formed a task force to investigate internal leaks. And back in February, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem threatened lie detector tests for her own staff.

Still, the Axios story is telling. It suggests Musk’s grip on the White House might not be as ironclad as it once seemed—a welcome sign after months of him acting like Trump’s co-president. Since January, the obscenely rich Tesla and SpaceX CEO has gutted key federal agencies and helped purge tens of thousands of government workers under the banner of “efficiency” and rooting out “waste” and “fraud.” He’s also clashed with other Cabinet members along the way. 

Talk of a rift has been swirling ever since Musk helped tank a GOP special election in Wisconsin, despite sinking $25 million into the race. The president and Musk dismissed those reports as more “fake news,” but this could mark the beginning of a real break.

We can only hope.

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GOP Rep. Riley Moore of West Virginia traveled to El Salvador on Tuesday, where he posed for photos in front of immigrants incarcerated in the notoriously violent CECOT prison.

Moore posted four photos from his visit, including two showing him standing in front of overcrowded prison cells where immigrants are housed without any mattresses, pillows, proper nutrition, or even access to speak with family or legal representatives. 

In one particularly disturbing photo, Moore is giving the camera two thumbs up.

Immigrants are seen being transferred by ICE officers to El Salvador’s notoriously violent prison, CECOT.

“I just toured the CECOT prison in El Salvador. This maximum security facility houses the country’s most brutal criminals, including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and terrorists. Several inmates were extremely violent criminals recently deported from the U.S. I leave now even more determined to support President Trump’s efforts to secure our homeland,” he wrote on X.

Moore is the latest Republican to visit CECOT, following Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who took perverse pleasure in posing in front of the suffering people behind her.

But while Republicans are busy creating torture porn from their visits to CECOT, Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland left for El Salvador on Wednesday to observe the conditions of the prison and to meet with Salvadoran officials. 

In particular, Van Hollen is looking for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was wrongly sent to CECOT. The Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to return Garcia to the United States, but President Donald Trump and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele are refusing to release him.

“I just landed in San Salvador a little while ago, and I look forward to meeting with the team at the U.S. embassy to discuss the release of Mr. Abrego Garcia. I also hope to meet with Salvadoran officials and with Kilmar himself. He was illegally abducted and needs to come home,” Van Hollen wrote on Bluesky Wednesday.

xI just landed in San Salvador a little while ago, and I look forward to meeting with the team at the U.S. embassy to discuss the release of Mr. Abrego Garcia.

I also hope to meet with Salvadoran officials and with Kilmar himself. He was illegally abducted and needs to come home.— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@vanhollen.senate.gov) 2025-04-16T15:32:38.378Z

Other Democratic lawmakers have requested a congressional delegation (CODEL) to visit the prison, where Trump now says he wants to send U.S. citizens. 

In a letter to House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, the Democrats seeking the CODEL wrote:

A Congressional delegation would allow Committee Members to conduct a welfare check on Mr. Abrego Garcia, as well as others held at CECOT, such as Andry José Hernandez—a 30-year-old LGBTQ makeup artist who passed a “credible fear” interview during his legal asylum process before being deported.
In addition, congressional oversight is warranted following President Trump’s recent remarks in which he expressed a desire to send “homegrown criminals”—including U.S. citizens—to this facility.

As you are aware, the Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal investigative committee of the House of Representatives and has broad authority to examine “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.

We are prepared to travel as soon as possible. We would gladly include any Republican Members of the Committee who wish to participate. Given that the Senate has already authorized CODEL travel to CECOT, we believe the House should also be represented. Thank you for your prompt consideration of this request.

According to the Holocaust Museum’s definition, CECOT is a concentration camp.

A concentration camp, the museum says, “is a site for the detention of civilians whom a regime perceives to be a security risk of some sort. What distinguishes it from a prison (in the modern sense) is that incarceration in a concentration camp is independent of any judicial sentence or even indictment, and is not subject to judicial review.”

Indeed, 90% of those sent to CECOT had never been convicted of a crime, while 75% have never even been arrested, according to Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council.

Nazis used concentration camps “to incarcerate indefinitely people whom the Nazi regime perceived to be a security threat in the broadest possible sense (for example, from a Jew with presupposed ‘international connections’ or perceived racial deficiencies, to an alcoholic who was incapable of holding a job),” according to the Holocaust Museum.

Sound familiar?

According to Moore, that deserves two thumbs up.

Thank you to the Daily Kos community who continues to fight so hard with Daily Kos. Your reader support means everything. We will continue to have you covered and keep you informed, so please donate just $3 to help support the work we do.

The Trump administration is suing Maine after the state’s leadership refused to bow to President Donald Trump’s demand that transgender children be treated like second-class citizens.

The Department of Justice alleges in its suit filed Wednesday that Maine is in violation of the federal Title IX anti-discrimination law because it continues to allow transgender girls to participate in school sports. 

In February, Trump signed the executive order “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” that instructs the federal government to withhold funds from states that do not adhere to Trump’s ideological belief that gender is restricted to the sex assigned at birth.

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills of Maine

But Maine has a state law, the Maine Human Rights Act, which considers gender identity a protected class and specifically states that denying equal opportunities in school athletic programs is considered discrimination.

“Today is the latest, expected salvo in an unprecedented campaign to pressure the State of Maine to ignore the Constitution and abandon the rule of law,” Democratic Gov. Janet Mills of Maine said in a statement.

She went on to say that Trump does not have the power to force Maine to comply with his anti-trans demands.

“As I have said previously, this is not just about who can compete on the athletic field, this is about whether a President can force compliance with his will, without regard for the rule of law that governs our nation. I believe he cannot,” Mills wrote.

The confrontation between Mills and Trump first flared up in February, when the president chided Mills for declining to comply with his edict when she attended a White House ceremony. 

“You better do it, because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t,” Trump threatened.

“See you in court,” Mills replied.

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 Since then, the Trump administration has launched multiple federal investigations into Maine as retribution for the state not complying with its pro-discrimination stance.

In an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Monday, before the suit was filed, Mills said that she’s “appalled” at Trump’s stance and his belief that “he could just rewrite the law.”

And, Mills noted, there are currently only two transgender athletes competing in Maine schools, despite Trump putting the full weight of the federal government on the state.

When this fact was pointed out to Attorney General Pam Bondi during an appearance on Fox News Wednesday, she angrily dismissed it, saying that “one is too many” and that Mills “shouldn’t have said that, shouldn’t have done this.”

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As in other cases of the Trump administration’s extreme overreach, a federal court recently ruled against its actions.

On April 12, U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock ordered Trump to unfreeze federal funds from the Department of Agriculture that are dedicated to Maine. These funds had been cut off because Maine was in “defiance of federal law,” according to the Trump administration.

The Trump administration’s fight with Maine is just one of many fronts in recent GOP attempts to attack transgender equality and relegate trans Americans to second-class status. The Republican Party has attempted to motivate conservative voters by relentlessly attacking trans people.

But Maine is fighting back, and now the administration is escalating its lawless crusade against basic human rights.

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A cartoon by Mike Luckovich.

Related | Trump is chomping at the bit to send US citizens to Salvadoran prison

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, has always been a catalyst for calamity, and her approach to her town hall on Tuesday was no different. 

The event in Cobb County, Georgia, quickly devolved into a Greene-inspired shitshow, even more volatile than we have seen at other recent GOP-led town halls, with almost a dozen officers forcibly removing attendees who dissented and tasering at least two people.

As Greene spoke, protesters took turns standing up, holding signs, and making jeers at Greene. Law enforcement was quick—and violent—in shutting down constituents’ free speech.

xProtester forcibly removed from Marjorie Taylor Greene’s town hall.— Olga Nesterova (@onestpress.bsky.social) 2025-04-15T23:13:45.110Z

A Black man, later identified as Johnny Keith Williams of Dallas, Georgia, was forcibly grabbed and tasered by several officers. 

“This is a peaceful town hall,” Greene said as Williams lay frozen on the floor.

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According to CNN, another man was tasered by law enforcement at the event. 

One attendee held a sign that read “Jail 4 Insider Traders,” referring to Greene’s possible participation in insider trading connected to President Donald Trump’s erratic trade war.

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Another attendee stood up and denounced ICE as “a terrorist group, going after Black and Brown people,” before being removed by law enforcement. As she exited, she shouted at Greene, calling her a “butch body bitch,” in reference to Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, who made the viral slam against Greene during a committee hearing last year.

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 Attendees were reportedly prescreened by Greene’s staff, and the event’s location was not shared publicly beforehand. Despite this, at least one attendee was able to ask an authentic question.

“Why is MTG supporting Musk and DOGE and the slashing of Medicaid, Social Security offices, libraries, and more?” Greene was asked by a woman identified as “Sarah.” 

“Well, Sarah, unfortunately, you’re being brainwashed by the news that you’re watching,” Greene said, dodging the question entirely.

Greene has never pretended she was a reasonable person with any genuine interest in her constituents’ questions or misgivings. But you don’t need to look much further than GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley’s recent Iowa town hall to understand why Republicans are having such a difficult time facing the music.

Too bad for Greene, furious voters aren’t going away anytime soon.

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