Vance Names Who He Thinks Is Really Leading the Democratic Party
Vice President JD Vance made headlines with an unexpected response when asked who he sees as the current leader of the Democratic Party.
During an appearance on Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier, Vance offered a surprising take: that former President Donald Trump is effectively leading the Democrats. And he had a clear explanation for why.
The moment came after host Bret Baier posed a question about whether Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, might be the emerging figurehead of her party.
“President AOC, the stuff of nightmares, Bret, thank you. You’ve ruined my sleep for this evening,” Vance joked. “I don’t know.”
He continued: “I think to the extent the Democrats have a leader, Donald J. Trump is the leader of the Democratic Party.”
Vance explained that Democrats appear to base their positions primarily on opposing Trump. “Because they’re just against everything that he does. Who could possibly disagree with rebuilding American manufacturing and ensuring these steelworkers have higher wages and better jobs?” he asked.
“But any time Donald Trump does anything, they have this emotional response, they have to be against. Who could disagree with deporting millions of illegal aliens, many of whom are violent criminals? But they do, they have,” he said.
The vice president added, “Whenever Donald J. Trump does something, they react negatively to it. They don’t have real leadership.”
He also suggested that this dynamic gives Republicans an edge going into the future. “I think it’s why I’m not too concerned about 2028, because if I wake up in a fantasy world where the Democrats actually have constructive ideas about how to govern this country, that’ll actually be a good thing. But in the world that we actually live in, where they’re just anti-Trump about everything, the politics of 2028 will take care of themselves,” Vance concluded.
Despite Vance’s remarks, recent polling shows that Rep. Ocasio-Cortez is gaining significant traction within the Democratic Party and could be poised to take on a larger leadership role.
A new poll focused on the 2028 Democratic primary in New York shows Ocasio-Cortez with a commanding lead over longtime Senate leader Chuck Schumer. According to the poll by liberal research group Data for Progress, reported first by POLITICO, 55% of likely Democratic voters support or lean toward Ocasio-Cortez, while only 36% back Schumer. Nine percent remain undecided.
This survey highlights growing dissatisfaction with Schumer among progressives, especially after he supported a Republican-backed funding bill aimed at preventing a government shutdown. The release of the poll by Data for Progress signals ongoing pressure from left-leaning groups for Schumer to adopt a more confrontational stance toward Donald Trump, as POLITICO noted.
“This poll really does show that Democrats are united in just wanting to stand up, wanting to fight, wanting to see someone taking a stand for them,” said Danielle Deiseroth, executive director of Data for Progress.
Deiseroth also pointed to her organization's history of challenging mainstream Democratic leadership. She referenced a 2021 poll her firm conducted indicating then-Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona was vulnerable to a primary challenge—a prediction that preceded Sinema’s decision to become an independent and forgo reelection.
While the long-term impact of this poll is unclear, especially since the primary is still three years away, it does show a shift in momentum. Ocasio-Cortez has yet to confirm whether she plans to run for the Senate, while Schumer has already filed to seek another term.
Schumer has defended his decision to back the GOP funding bill, framing it as the lesser of two evils to avoid a shutdown that he said would have played into Trump’s hands.
Though some progressive groups and House members have urged him to either adopt a tougher approach or step aside as minority leader, Schumer has so far maintained unity within the Senate Democratic caucus, and his leadership position remains intact—for now.