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– Dr. Buddy Rydell (Jack Nicholson) in the 2003 film Anger Management.
When one thinks of the Democratic Party in 2025, most don’t think of compassion or relatability. Instead, anger is the first word that usually comes to mind.
Here are ten examples of anger on display during Trump’s second term:
“This dude [Ted Cruz] has to be knocked over the head, like, hard, right? Like, there is no niceties with him, like, at all!” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX).
“[Trump senior advisor] Stephen Miller needs to be THUMPED! That guy’s a freaking worm. I would be willing to go to jail for – I mean, how much [time] would I get for just cracking him a couple of times?” said North Carolina congressional candidate Richard Ojeda (D).
“Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head. Spoiler – put [Republican Todd] Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time,” said Jay Jones (D), Attorney General candidate in Virginia, who also wished death upon Gilbert’s wife and two young children in text messages released this month by a Republican colleague. Jones also referred to the children as “little fascists.”
“Let your rage fuel you!” Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger (D) said to supporters at a rally in June. Spanberger has refused to call on Jones to drop out of the race.
“I’m like, ‘You know what? I’m not the one. Don’t come for me unless I send for you.’ And I did not send for this malignant clown,” said House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries, commenting on a confrontation he had with Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) during which he told Lawler to “keep your mouth shut.”
“The visceral response from people across the country who feel cheated, ripped off, and threatened by the vile practices of their insurance companies should be a warning to everyone in the healthcare system,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said after Luigi Mangione murdered United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson by shooting him in the back in the middle of Manhattan.
“Violence is never the answer,” Warren added. “But people can only be pushed so far.”
“But…”
“There is no legacy to honor. It was a legacy filled with bigotry, hatred, and white supremacy,” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) said in a podcast interview after Charlie Kirk was assassinated without citing any specific quotes to back up her farcical claim. “And as a black woman and as a Muslim in this country, I refuse to join the chorus that changes the history of what is on the record from this man.”
“We’re going to punch these sons of bitches in the mouth,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said on his podcast, talking about Republicans.
“Get out of my f****** shot!” exclaimed California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter to a staffer during a taped interview. The staffer tried to explain to Porter that her argument was wrong on electric vehicles, but Porter was livid despite the interview not being live.
“You also were in my shot before that. Stay out of my shot,” Porter reiterated.
The clip has since gone viral to the tune of millions of views. But Porter will benefit from “news” shows like The View, which somehow falls under ABC’s news department.
Here is co-host Whoopi Goldberg somehow defending Porter with the “everybody-treats-their-staff-this-way” argument.
“I have done this, I have been rude to people…” Goldberg began.
“But you’re not running for elected official,” co-host Sara Haines injected.
“No, but I’ve been rude and that’s my point,” Goldberg continued.
“And I understand, but I would expect something differently from her,” Haines replied.
“No, she’s just another human being,” Goldberg shot back, as if this is normal behavior on display from Porter in any ordinary workplace that would get other people fired.
This wasn’t a one-off with Porter, either. Just a day before the video of her berating a staffer made it into the mainstream, she walked out of an interview with a Sacramento CBS affiliate because the reporter, Julie Watts, actually asked follow-up questions around winning over moderate and conservative voters in her gubernatorial race.
“I don’t want to keep doing this. I’m going to call it,” Porter said in attempting to end the interview over perfectly reasonable questions.
“I want to have a pleasant, positive conversation. … If every question you’re going to make up a follow-up question, then we’re never going to get there and we are just going to circle around.”
The anger management issue threatens to turn the California governor’s race into an unexpectedly competitive one. According to betting site Kalshi, Porter’s chances of being governor were 40% just one week ago, before the CBS interview and the staffer scolding video emerged. It’s now at just 16%. Actions have consequences, especially in a social media environment.
Democrats keep telling us that they simply need to fight President Donald Trump and Republicans harder while amping up the rhetoric.
“We’re going to bring a knife fight to a knife fight,” declared DNC Chairman Ken Martin.
But the party continues to plummet in the polls. A CNN poll, for example, shows that just 16% of American adults say the party has strong leaders, while just 19% say it’s a party that can get things done. Those are the lowest numbers we’ve seen for any party in polling history.
Meanwhile, on the Republican side and especially as it pertains to Trump, the once stuffy party of country club rich guys is now the fun party. The 2024 campaign said it all: While Trump was being compared to Hitler and a fascist even after two assassination attempts, he worked a drive-through at McDonald’s, smiling and chatting up customers. And when President Joe Biden angrily referred to all Trump supporters as garbage, Trump’s team quickly secured a garbage truck in Wisconsin while the candidate dressed up as a garbage man and loved every minute of it.
Both moments went viral in places that typical campaigns and all the TV ad buys in the world could not reach. So while Kamala Harris was doing forgetful interviews on CNN or MSNBC, Trump cast himself as the happy warrior while mocking Democrats in the process. That remains true to this day regarding the posture of both parties.
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Aristotle once said: “Anybody can become angry — that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way — that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.”
By being in desperate need of anger management, Democrats clearly need to heed this advice.
