President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House is only three days away, but a Company based in California which specializes in providing on-demand crowds for protests has seen a surprising drop in enthusiasm among Democrats compared to years before.
Adam Swart, CEO of California-based advertising firm Crowds on Demand, said it was a stark contrast to previous election cycles.
“We’ve had fewer inquiries than in 2017 when Trump was first elected to his first term, and I attribute that to a real lack of passion right now on the part of many Democratic Party donors and operatives,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Many of them are disheartened and realize that the tactics they tried ultimately failed, and are trying to recalibrate their approach as we move into another Trump era.”
CARRIE UNDERWOOD PERFORMS ‘AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL’ AT TRUMP’S INAUGURATION
Anti-Trump protesters gather as people line up to see former President Donald Trump speak at Madison Square Garden during a campaign rally on October 27, 2024 in New York. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
By the nature of the deal, the losing – or opposing – party tries to get involved Help Crowds on Demandmeaning Democrats would typically flock to the company after President-elect Donald Trump’s decisive victory and as his inauguration approaches.
But residual malaise since the Democrats’ defeat in November and the desire to chart a path forward with a message that resonates may be partly to blame.
Swart largely credits the shift to “tantrum tactics” that, he says, have largely “failed” the Democratic Party.
“This is something I’ve been telling my friends in the Democratic Party for a long time, that the so-called Trump derangement syndrome, where you vehemently and furiously oppose every single thing he does, get angry at everything he says, has ultimately failed, as evidenced by the convincing victory that Trump achieved,” he said.
“He didn’t win big because people weren’t aware of who he was. People were aware of who he was.”
He quoted Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who in June 2018 called on members of the public to openly confront and harass members of the Trump administration.
“They won’t be able to go to a restaurant, they won’t be able to stop at a gas station, they won’t be able to shop at a department store,” Waters he said at the time. “The people will turn on them, they will protest, they will absolutely harass them.”
President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office on Monday, becoming the second president to serve two consecutive terms. (NRA)
Swart says the tactic worked for Democrats during the first Trump administration, when many members of the administration were “socially ostracized.”
“They were forbidden from entering restaurants. They were forbidden from social clubs. They were not invited to important parties,” he said.
“The idea behind that tactic was to put a social cost on being associated with Trump. Now, when you see titans of Silicon Valley and Wall Street openly associating with Trump in a way you’ve never seen before and on a scale never seen before, extracting that social cost on Trump supporters are no longer possible.”
Still Waters later denied this she incited violence against Trump officials, other democrats they have faced similar scrutiny for inflammatory rhetoric, including instances in which multiple party members labeled Trump a “threat to democracy.” Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman of New York, for example, once said that Trump was so “dangerous” to democracy that he “must be eliminated,” but soon afterward apologized for the remark.
Swart warned Democrats that if Waters’ rhetoric continues, the party will only “lose more” in the next election, swing moderate Republicans further to the right and drive moderate Democrats away from the left.
DEMAND CROWD HAS RECEIVED OVER 100 ‘ACRATIVE’ ANTI-ISRAEL DEMANDS SINCE OCTOBER 7
“My advice to Democrats in terms of protesting and advocating in the Trump era is to be very specific in your advocacy and be positive in your focus. Given the fact that Democrats are in a narrow minority in the Senate and House of Representatives, there are opportunities to bring moderates or bipartisan Republicans to their way of thinking, but the tactics of rage and attack and social ostracism will not work,” he said.
“A better tactic is to focus on your constituents and what the constituents want, number one. Number two, making emotional but positive appeals. And number three, relentless, respectful pressure. By that I mean you’re out Every day you smile. You won’t hear, but in no way do you create a threatening atmosphere. Ultimately, when you leave, what we’ve found is that our most effective campaigns are those where we apply positive pressure. We’re in a good mood, but we’re relentless, a that’s exactly the strategy that’s going to work because it’s going to get people who are independent-leaning Republicans to vote with Democrats.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News’ Yael Halon, Greg Wehner and Emma Colton contributed to this report.
