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President Donald Trump has made no secret that his – second – first 100 days in office will be incredibly fast paced. 

To that end, the country should be prepared for a “shock and awe” period of executive orders, addressing everything from mass deportations of illegal migrants, tariffs, ending sanctuary cities and more. 

Where executive orders fall short, Trump is pushing his allies in Congress to take up parts of his agenda as legislation.  

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Among other things, Trump wants to push through legislation extending the 2017 tax cuts, increasing the debt limit while also slashing federal spending, comprehensive immigration reform and giving tax breaks to energy companies. 

However, what Trump envisions, and the realities of Congress are two different things. 

With Republicans’ ultra-slim majority in the House, and divisions in the Republican caucus and party generally – as the conflict between Steve Bannon and Elon Musk suggests – there is the potential for problems in various areas of Trump’s proposed agenda. 

That being said, presidential powers in certain areas like immigration, national security and even tariffs, are broad enough that much, if not all, of Trump’s agenda will likely be enacted rather quickly.  

All of this leaves Democrats, dispirited after an election that saw Republicans sweep the White House and both chambers of Congress, in a precarious position.

Do they continue blindly opposing Trump, despite the will of the voters who decisively elected him and handed Congress to the GOP?  

Or, recognizing that “resistance at all costs” is an exercise in futility, do Democrats adopt a policy of strategic bipartisan cooperation?  

With pre-election polling from Fox News showing that voters trusted Donald Trump rather than VP Kamala Harris by wide margins on issues like immigration (+15%), as well as the economy and crime (+8% each), doubling down on resistance would be a costly mistake. 

In no uncertain terms, Democrats would be significantly better served – as would the country – if they choose the latter, and emphasize a new, moderate agenda centered on bipartisan compromise on key issues such as the economy, immigration, crime and government excess.  

Positively, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies has indicated that he understands the importance of this cooperation. He recently said, “House Democrats will work to find bipartisan common ground whenever and wherever possible with the incoming administration.” 

Indeed, moderate Democrats should take the lead and work with their GOP colleagues to forge compromise where it can easily be found. Securing the border, for example, is a commonsense policy that both parties can work towards together.  

Moreover, by working with Republicans, Democrats would be able to ensure some of their own policies make it into final legislation.  

Returning to the border and immigration, a compromise could surely be struck that minimizes the extent of Trump’s planned mass deportations by limiting them to adults who entered the country illegally and those who have committed crimes while here. 

In exchange, Democrats could push for a pathway to citizenship for children who were brought here. 

Further, bipartisan efforts can be made to increase the number of H1B visas for the highest skilled migrants so that America preserves its technological advantage over China.  

Over the objections of many on the far-right, Trump recently came out in support of the H1B program. Democrats should take him up on that in exchange for wholly necessary steps to address illegal immigration.  

Similarly, a moderate Democratic agenda must entail the end of support for sanctuary cities and soft-on-crime policies. Too often, progressives have been allowed to dictate Democrats’ position on these related issues, damaging the entire party.   

To be sure, while immigration is one high-profile area for compromise, Democrats would be wise to adopt a moderate agenda across the board.  

On the economy, there are middle-of-the-road policies that can keep taxes low, spur growth, and lower the cost of living – an issue that seriously hurt Democrats in the election. 

A key part of this would be working with Republicans to reform education and job training programs.  

There are potential deals to be made that increase funding for vocational training and school choice programs while also making education more accessible for all Americans. 

In that same vein, with Republicans targeting federal spending, Democrats must finally admit that they cannot simply spend with impunity.  

The national debt, now sitting at more than $36 trillion was a significant concern for voters, and the combination of inflation and high interest rates needed to combat it risk strangling the American economy.  

By working with the Department of Government Efficiency, Democrats can contribute to reining in the debt while protecting core programs such as social security and Medicare.  

Finally, even though foreign policy is largely the purview of the president, the challenge for Democrats here is two-fold.  

They must embrace a more moderate foreign policy that recognizes the need to expand the Abraham Accords and support Israel, while finding a compromise with Trump on other issues. 

Under President Joe Biden, America’s foreign policy was often prodding, weak, and relied on the misguided strategy of “diplomacy at all costs.”

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Democrats should look to support Trump’s more muscular foreign policy, in exchange for Trump’s commitment to NATO and not forcing Ukraine into a deal that overly favors Russian President Vladimir Putin.  

Taken together, Democrats would be wise to heed the lessons of former President Bill Clinton. During my time in that administration, Clinton moved to the right on certain issues – the debt, crime and welfare reform – taking the mantle from Republicans and contributing to a boost in his approval. 

Ultimately, during and after Trump’s first 100 days, Democrats cannot afford a strategy of total resistance, lest they be consigned to minority status for the foreseeable future. 

If Democrats hope to demonstrate that they are a viable alternative, they must develop a new, moderate agenda that shows the American people that they are capable of putting actual governance over petty politics. 

Importantly, this is not to say that Democrats need to surrender on everything, particularly on issues that go against their core principles.  

Rather, it is to underscore that working with Trump and Republicans to find compromise and address issues facing all Americans is to everyone’s benefit. 

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