Democrats appeared bitter and disruptive during President Trump’s first joint address to Congress in his second term. Afterward, a newly elected Democratic senator from a state Trump won provided a more constructive and persuasive path forward for her party.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a former CIA analyst who held off an experienced Republican opponent in November, assailed Trump repeatedly during her televised response to his one-hour-and-40-minute address.

But Slotkin did so in a sensible, matter-of-fact manner that framed the Democratic Party alternative as an appeal for “responsible” governing over “reckless” leadership, especially when it comes to the economy and foreign policy.

“Americans made it clear that prices are too high, and that the government needs to be more responsive to their needs,” she said in her televised remarks. “America wants change, but there’s a responsible way to make change and a reckless way, and we can make that change without forgetting who we are as a country and as a democracy.”

Addressing the nation from Wyandotte, Mich., Slotkin cast herself as a “Cold War kid” who is thankful that Ronald Reagan, not Trump, was president in the 1980s.

“Trump would have lost the Cold War,” she asserted flatly, referring to the confrontation between Trump, Vice President Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week.

“After that spectacle that took place in the Oval Office last week, Reagan must be rolling in his grave,” she said.

A former House member who has positioned herself as a centrist voice in a party trending leftward on cultural issues, Slotkin used her response to Trump to extol the common sense middle ground in American politics. She attempted to present herself and other like-minded Democrats as better able to deliver economic relief to the majority of Americans, regardless of their party, than Trump’s hyper-partisan approach.

Her mom was a lifelong Democrat, she noted, while her Dad was a loyal Republican.

“But it was never a big deal because we had shared values that were bigger than any one party,” she noted.

“President Trump and I both won here in November,” she said of Michigan. “It might not seem like it, but plenty of places like this still exist across the United States, places where people believe that if you work hard and play by the rules, you should do well, and your kids should do better.”

Despite her nod to bipartisanship, Slotkin didn’t pull her punches. She impugned Trump’s handling of the economy so far and warned that his tariffs on allies such as Canada and Mexico would raise prices on energy, lumber, and cars.

Coupled with sweeping budget and personnel cuts billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk is imposing as part of his government efficiency initiative, Trump’s agenda, she said, could end up hurting most Americans. “If he’s not careful,” Slotkin warned, “he could walk us right into a recession.”

Slotkin also cautioned that Trump so far is not addressing Americans’ economic pain, as promised during the election, but instead pursuing misplaced priorities that benefit the rich.

“The president talked a big game on the economy, but it’s important to read the fine print,” she said. “So, do his plans actually help Americans get ahead? Not even close. President Trump is trying to deliver an unprecedented giveaway to his billionaire friends.”

“He’s on the hunt to find trillions of dollars to pass along to the wealthiest in America, and to do that, he’s going to make you pay in every part of your life,” Slotkin added. “Grocery and home prices are going up, not down, and he hasn’t laid out a credible plan to deal with either of those.”

While attempting to stir fear over Musk’s role, Slotkin cast herself as a politician committed to cutting government waste and abuse but in a calmer, more methodical way. 

“Is there anyone in America,” she asked, “who is comfortable with him and his gang of 20-year-olds using their own computer servers to poke through your tax returns, your health information, and your bank accounts?”

“We need more efficient government,” she noted. “You want to cut waste? I’ll help you do it. But change doesn’t need to be chaotic or make us less safe.”

A former three-term congresswoman who won competitive House races to hold onto her Lansing-area seat, Slotkin managed to keep a Senate seat in the Democratic column in Michigan, where Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris by more than 80,000 votes. Slotkin bested former Rep. Mike Rogers, who chaired the House Intelligence Committee, to win her seat with a slim margin of roughly 19,000 votes.

On Tuesday night and throughout her campaigns, Slotkin has emphasized her bipartisan bona fides, noting that after her work as a CIA analyst, she served in national security roles under former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Slotkin campaigned on typical Democratic Party issues, like abortion access and gun control, while appealing to Republicans and all voters to “join us on team normal” by casting herself as a problem solver who represented a broad swath of voters. She also argued that Trump’s trade policies could set off a trade war that could threaten the U.S. auto industry, a key sector in Michigan’s economy.

After her party’s losses in November, Slotkin emerged as one of the sharpest critics of the Democratic Party’s messaging, especially when it comes to identity politics. She told reporters after the election that Democrats should focus more on “issues that keep people up at night,” such as the impact of inflation on their bank accounts.

“It’s not rocket science, but talking about those issues plainly, not from the faculty lounge, but from the assembly line, is, I think, a very important message,” she told reporters at a post-election briefing at the Democratic Senatorial Committee. “It’s not what you’re saying, but from what place you are talking about those issues…I personally think that identity politics needs to go the way of the dodo.”

In approaching the response to Trump’s first big speech in a calm, straight-forward manner, Slotkin avoided the pitfalls so many other lawmakers have encountered in providing a response to the president’s annual address to Congress.

Last year, Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama was widely ridiculed for her breathy remarks that included a story of a sex-trafficked woman that was meant to criticize former President Biden’s lax immigration policies. Instead, Britt later acknowledged that the incident did not occur during Biden’s presidency.

After her remarks Tuesday, Slotkin’s star appeared to rise even higher, especially among prominent Democratic campaign consultants who have criticized the party’s messaging during the election and were equally unimpressed when Democrat Rep. Al Green of Texas start yelling at Trump at the beginning of the speech before being escorted out of the chamber by the House sergeant-at-arms. 

“I think what Al Green did was despicable. I like the Elissa Slotkin speech. I think that’s where Democrats should go,” David Axelrod, a former top Obama adviser, said on CNN Tuesday night. “That doesn’t obviate the fact that you shouldn’t exploit our differences. You should try and solve problems and heal our differences. I don’t see that inclination on the part of this president.”

At 48, Slotkin is the youngest Democratic woman to win a Senate election. On Tuesday, she used the same type of kitchen table issues that worked on the campaign trail to appeal to voters Tuesday night, but she also cast opposing Trump’s agenda as an existential fight.

Like other Democrats, Slotkin took issue with what she described as Trump ignoring court orders and the “Constitution itself” without providing details. But she zeroed in on what she argued was Trump’s divisive rhetoric. “It’s also at risk when the president pits Americans against each other, when he demonizes those who are different and tells certain people they shouldn’t be included,” she said. Americans are longing for “government to be more responsive to our lives,” she acknowledged, but that doesn’t mean people should get discouraged if they don’t see it happening right away.

Slotkin ended her Tuesday night remarks by imploring voters not to get complacent.

“Don’t tune out. It’s easy to be exhausted, but America needs you now more than ever,” she said. “Second, hold your elected officials, including me, accountable. Watch how they’re voting. Go to town halls and demand and take action. That’s American as apple pie.”

“Third, organize. Pick just one issue you’re passionate about and engage, and doom scrolling doesn’t count,” she urged. “Join a group that cares about your issue and act.”

“I promise that I and my fellow Democrats will do everything in our power to be the principled leaders that you deserve,” she concluded.