Talarico wants to make Trump's last 2 years 'the most productive of any presidency'

This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. Sen.-elect James Talarico (D-Texas) told a gathering of Democrats that they must work with President Trump and cannot wait until a new president takes the oath to start delivering for Americans. Talarico, speaking Thursday to the What’s Next conference in Denver, said Democrats need to work with Trump to deliver on economic relief, political reform and immigration policy in the final two years of his presidency. Talarico will be the first Democratic senator from the Lone Star state since 1988 and regularly advocates for bipartisanship. “Some of these reforms might not pass ’til 2029, but 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,” he added, referencing President and former Texas Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson. The newest Texas senator isn’t the only freshman Democrat to suggest collaboration with the president. Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed (D-Mich.) posted to social media platform X on Thursday with graphic mock-ups of “Trump Care” health insurance cards, pushing the president to support universal health care. “Donald, this is on the table. Guarantee healthcare for every American, from cradle to grave,” El-Sayed wrote. Talarico told the Denver conference that Democrats on Capitol Hill should make the final two years of Trump’s presidency “the most productive of any presidency” in history. He said the current moment is bigger than red versus blue. “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,” Talarico said. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.