Former Biden White House Secretary Jen Psaki made her first appearance as an MSNBC commentator, arguing that Democrats are becoming increasingly engaged in the midterms the more former President Donald Trump inserts himself into the race.
Ms Psaki appeared on Alex Wagner Tonight on Tuesday, with Ms Wagner saying that abortion is an “animating factor” ahead of the midterms, following the overturning of Roe v Wade in late June and the 15-week national abortion ban proposed by South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.
“In these ways, these midterms may end up being a referendum on Republican power more so than Democratic power. Do you see it that way?” Ms Wagner asked Ms Psaki.
“Absolutely. And that is remarkable if you think about it. If you look back on the NBC poll in January, Democrats were not that into the midterms. They just weren’t that into it,” she said.
In January of this year, 61 per cent of Republicans said they were very interested in the midterms compared to 47 per cent of Democrats, according to an NBC poll.
A poll released on Tuesday by Morning Consult and Politico shows that those numbers are now 56 per cent for Democrats and 57 per cent for Republicans.
Ms Psaki noted those changing numbers in her MSNBC appearance on Tuesday night.
“It’s largely flipped now. The anger is among the members of the Democratic Party, which is the party in power, which is so rare for that to be the case,” she said. “People are enthused, they’re engaged, they want to get out and vote, they want to participate in the process.”
Ms Wagner said the feeling is similar to when Mr Trump was in the White House and progressives and liberals grew concerned that “basic freedoms are being infringed upon”.
She also noted that the continuing investigations into Mr Trump’s conduct, both in private business and his handling of classified documents after leaving the presidency, have kept him in the headlines.
“Well, nothing’s more of a driving and excitement factor like Donald Trump for Democrats,” Ms Psaki told Ms Wagner. “They love to be opposed to him, because they are. Independents, many, don’t want to see another reign of Trump. And the more he engages in the race, the more he puts himself out there, the more it’s a reminder of what’s at stake to people.”
“I’ll also say, since you asked me broadly about the midterms, that while I think a lot of Democrats are feeling better, as they should, there’s a long way to go here,” she added. “If the election were tomorrow, I think the House would be an uphill battle. That would be a bit of a leap. The Senate is more of a tossup, but there’s different dynamics in each of these races that we should be paying close attention to.”
