LANSING, Mich. — The Democratic response to President Donald Trump’sjoint congressional address Tuesday was delivered by a first-term Michigan senator who built an extensive national security background before entering politics less than a decade ago.
Elissa Slotkin gave the Democratic rebuttal to Trump just two months into her tenure in the U.S. Senate, having narrowly defeated Republican Mike Rogers to win an open seat in a presidential battleground state — despite Trump carrying the state. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., praised Slotkin as “nothing short of a rising star in our party” when announcing her selection Thursday.
Slotkin’s spoke from Wyandotte, Michigan, a working-class community south of Detroit, as Democrats struggle to settle on a unified message to combat Trump, which was on full display Tuesday night as Trump delivered the longest address to Congress by a president in U.S. history. Some Democratic members held placards in the House chamber with various messages, while scattered boos echoed throughout the speech. The most dramatic moment came when Texas Rep. Al Green was escorted out after heckling the president.
In his speech, Trump claimed credit for “swift and unrelenting action” in reshaping the nation’s economy, immigration and foreign policy within his first weeks in office. The Republican-controlled House and Senate have done little to check the president’s agenda.
In her rebuttal, Slotkin told Americans that Trump’s policies would make them pay “in every part of your life.” Slotkin spoke for a little more than 10 minutes, a far shorter address than Trump’s record-setting speech, which lasted an hour and 40 minutes.
“It’s late,” she began, “so I promise to be a lot shorter than what you just watched.”
Slotkin focused on economic issues amid Trump’s Monday announcement that 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada would begin Tuesday. The move has reignited fears of a North American trade war, which has already shown signs of driving up inflation and stalling growth.
Known for her more moderate politics, Slotkin has not hesitated in the past to critique her party’s messaging when necessary.
“We didn’t do as good a job as we could have at showing what our priorities are,” Slotkin told The Associated Press after the November election. “Our priorities, in my mind, should start with people’s pocketbooks and their kids. And I think the message got muddled for a lot of people, certainly at the national level.”
Her team announced Monday that she would be joined at Trump’s speech by Marine veteran Andrew Lennox, who recently spoke out after losing his job at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Ann Arbor due to cuts implemented by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, led by billionaire Elon Musk.
The 48-year-old Slotkin, a former CIA analyst, is seen as a leading figure in the party’s next generation. She first ran for office in 2018, defeating a two-term incumbent Republican. After redistricting, she consistently won one of the nation’s most competitive House seats, earning a reputation as one of the party’s top fundraisers. In 2023, she announced a run for Michigan’s open Senate seat after Sen. Debbie Stabenow announced she would not seek a fifth term.
