Talarico Urges Democrats to Deliver Results Under Trump

Texas Sen.-elect James Talarico told a room full of Democrats in Denver on Thursday that the party has to help President Donald Trump produce the "most productive" final two years of any presidency in American history, because voters will not wait until 2028 for relief, according to NBC News.

The remarks came at the two-day What's Next conference, an event organized by the group Majority Democrats. Democrats now control both chambers of Congress following the midterms, but Trump remains in the White House with veto power until 2029, NBC News reported.

"The American people cannot wait two years for change. So we must work with President Trump," Talarico said, according to NBC News. "If President Trump wants the same plaques and portraits and busts as LBJ, we can help make that a reality."

What did Talarico tell Democrats to do?

Talarico's core message was practical rather than combative: set aside what he called vitriol and distractions and move immediately on economic relief, NBC News reported. He framed the next two years not as a holding pattern before the next presidential election but as a window Democrats cannot afford to waste, given that they now hold legislative majorities even as Trump retains the executive branch and the veto.

His reference to Lyndon B. Johnson, a fellow Texan, was a pointed offer: Democrats could help deliver Trump a legacy comparable to LBJ's if he works with the new congressional majority on policy that helps ordinary Americans, according to NBC News.

Why does he say Democrats can't wait until 2028?

Talarico's argument rests on a simple timeline problem. Voters who just handed Democrats control of Congress are not going to measure success by what happens after the next presidential election — they are judging the party now, Talarico told the Denver crowd, per NBC News. That puts pressure on Democrats to show tangible results inside a divided government, rather than campaign solely on opposition to the president.

What is the political context behind his remarks?

Talarico becomes the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas since 1988, NBC News reported — a 38-year gap that underscores how unusual his victory is in a state that has not sent a Democrat to the chamber in nearly four decades. He told the conference his goal was never to turn all of Texas blue, saying he believes voters in the state want a divided but balanced government rather than one-party rule, according to NBC News.

He also took aim at politicians who pit communities against each other, arguing those in power want Americans focused on the "wrong 1%" instead of billionaires accumulating wealth, NBC News reported.

What happened at the What's Next conference?

The gathering, held in Denver and organized by Majority Democrats, ran over two days and drew Democratic officials looking ahead to strategy after the midterms, according to NBC News. Talarico's speech leaned on the same themes he used on the campaign trail in Texas, the outlet reported, suggesting his message to national Democrats was an extension of the pitch that won him a historically difficult race.

By the numbers

• 1988: The last time Texas elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate before Talarico's win, per NBC News.
• 2029: When Trump's current term — and his veto power over congressional Democrats — is set to end, according to NBC News.

What to watch next

• Whether congressional Democrats, now holding both chambers, pursue bipartisan economic measures Trump could sign, as Talarico urged, per NBC News.
• How Talarico positions himself as a Texas Democrat navigating a state he says voters want kept competitive, not solidly blue, according to his remarks at the conference.
• Whether other Democrats at the What's Next conference echo Talarico's call to prioritize legislative results over confrontation with the White House in the next two years.

Talarico's remarks did not address specific legislation he wants Congress to pursue, and NBC News' report did not include reaction from Trump or Republican leaders to the senator-elect's comments.