Democrats can’t wait until after Trump to produce results, James Talarico says

DENVER — Texas Sen.-elect James Talarico told a gathering of Democrats Thursday that voters are expecting them to immediately deliver, and that means making President Donald Trump’s last two years in office the “most productive of any presidency in American history.”

Talarico, who just made history by becoming the first Democrat elected senator in Texas since 1988, urged his party to put aside vitriol and distractions and immediately provide economic relief to Americans. Democrats won both chambers of Congress, but Trump will remain in the White House — and wield the veto pen — until 2029.

“The American people cannot wait two years for change. So we must work with President Trump,” Talarico said. “If President Trump wants the same plaques and portraits and busts as LBJ, we can help make that a reality.”

It was a reference to President Lyndon B. Johnson, who was from Texas.

Talarico spoke at the two-day What’s Next conference, an event organized by the group Majority Democrats, tapping into campaign themes he stressed on the trail. Then, Talarico said his goal wasn’t to turn all of Texas blue because he believes voters want a divided, but balanced, government. He also spoke against politicians who pit communities against one another, saying those in power wanted Americans to focus on the “wrong 1%,” instead of billionaires who were growing their wealth.

In his speech, Talarico noted his historic win and what he described as a Democratic mandate “the size of Texas,” but stressed the need to reach across the aisle, and down Pennsylvania Avenue, to deliver results, even if it means Trump takes some of the credit.

“We should make the final two years of his presidency the most productive of any presidency in American history, because this moment is so much bigger and so much more important than the red team or blue team,” Talarico said. “It’s so much bigger than a party. We are tired of being pitted against each other. We’re tired of being told to hate each other. It’s been 10 years of this kind of politics.”

Whether Democrats deliver on an agenda and to what extent they focus on investigations of Republicans remains a central debate within the party. The White House has signaled it plans to fight attempts by Congress to investigate the administration.

Talarico has previously called not only for accountability for the Trump administration, but also for Democrats to work with Trump.

“It is not an either-or choice,” Talarico told NBC News earlier this month. “We need accountability and we need to deliver.”

Talarico swept into office after campaigning against corruption and framing himself as David versus Elon Musk, the Goliath, who single-handedly spent more than $168 million to support Talarico’s Republican opponent, Ken Paxton.

“We went up against the richest man in the world, and we won,” Talarico said at Thursday’s event.