Trump's mixed messaging leaves Dems struggling to find a way forward

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

56% : "How to respond to Trump "is a huge topic of conversation in Democratic circles right now," said Ian Russell, a Democratic consultant.
54% : "With his rhetoric so far," Smith said of Trump, "believe him."
53% : Meanwhile, asked whether the Democrats had a clear, unified response to Trump, one DNC member responded via text message: "Nope."
49% : "Unlike the first time Trump won the presidency, Democrats are not expecting major protests like the Women's March ahead of his Jan. 20 inauguration.
44% : Instead, Democrats across all levels of government are plotting more cautiously open approaches to Trump.
42% : At a DLCC event, several state legislators said Democrats back home were cautiously eyeing Trump, waiting to see how he would handle a second term before passing judgment on his intentions.
40% : In recent days, Trump has expressed interest in cutting a deal with Democrats to keep Dreamers in the U.S. while also vowing to end birthright citizenship.
36% : But Trump is, yet again, proving tricky to predict.
33% : Meanwhile, in the states, governors threatening to "fight to the death" if Trump attempts to infringe upon their constituents' rights are also pledging publicly and in private conversations with the president-elect to find ways to work with him on infrastructure and immigration.
21% : And while Denver's Democratic mayor, Mike Johnston, said he would be willing to go to jail to stop Trump from carrying out actions he believes are illegal, Eric Adams, his counterpart in New York City, sat down on Thursday with the incoming administration's so-called border czar.
15% : "It's not that Democrats are going to roll over, but you're seeing Trump handled as a more conventional political opponent as opposed to the Donald Trump who we've been doing battle with for the last decade.

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