‘I Hope Nobody Taped That’: Video Captures Debbie Dingell, Other Democrats Speaking Candidly About Protesting Trump

A video from a gathering of the Washtenaw County Democratic Party, posted earlier this month, captured Democratic Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell and other Democrats speaking candidly about their strategies to protest President Donald Trump.

The meeting called “Democratic Responses to Trump’s Attacks & Lessons Learned from 2024 MI House Races,” attended by various activist groups and Democratic organizers, was intended to rally the Democratic base and coordinate efforts to counteract Republican policies. During the meeting, a young Black man spoke positively about Trump’s decision to appoint Alice Marie Johnson as pardon czar and applauded his move as a meaningful step towards criminal justice reform.

“A couple points slash concerns to bring up. I think one thing that’s missing in this conversation,” the young man asked Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit.”Trump appointed a new pardon czar. And it’s a Black woman, a real Black. And so I bring that up to bring up the point that the Republicans are kind of moving in on what is traditionally like a progressive concept, right? You know, giving people back there for very different reasons though, right? He’s trying to take care of the people that take care of him, whereas I don’t see very strong Democrat messaging on this point at all.”

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His comment led to a tense moment when a man tried to take the microphone from him, and the audience visibly disapproved. Trump recently announced he’s appointing Johnson as pardon czar. During his first term, he granted her a full pardon for her non-violent drug offense, after she spent 22 years in prison.