Political commentator and former Obama State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf suggested Democratic lawmakers should aim to work with President Donald Trump more frequently in his second presidency, rather than constantly resist him as they did in his first term.

Harf contended that Democrats are starting to realize “the cold, hard reality” that Trump was not an “aberration” after eight years of former President Barack Obama. As such, the party’s next steps should not be objecting to anything the president does and instead only resist the “credibly bad things” he will do in the Oval Office.

“Now I have a lot of friends, members of Congress, staffers on Capitol Hill, who say ‘last time, every time he did anything, every little thing, we overreacted. We spent hours and weeks and months trying to get a tax return, for example, and did that really matter?’” Harf asked on Fox News’s coverage of Trump’s inauguration. “So I think Democrats right now are trying to figure out where they can work with the Trump administration, and where the things that he tries to do that are so antithetical to what we believe as a party, that that’s where we have to throw a lot of our attention.”

Harf acknowledged the bipartisan support for Marco Rubio, who will serve as secretary of state in Trump’s Cabinet, adding that Democrats will also likely support other nominees in the Cabinet. She also suggested that Democrats “deeply” believe that what Trump said to voters “really spoke” to them in a way Democrats could not, and that they are currently thinking of ways to win Trump voters back ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. 

Additionally, Harf claimed that Monday was Trump’s “best day of his presidency” since he cannot seek reelection and will face “a divided Republican Party” on how to move forward and work with Congress. As such, she argued Democrats are “starting to think about that.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

With Trump officially back in the Oval Office, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) has stated he is “ready to work” with the Trump administration, citing how he has reached “across the aisle” to find solutions for concerns that Pennsylvania residents face. 

Ahead of Trump’s inauguration, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) previewed what Trump’s first 100 days in power will look like, which include 10 executive orders focused on the southern border. Trump is expected to take 200 actions within the first few days back in the White House.