On Feb. 18, the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy hosted Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., for a conversation about bipartisanship and the Democratic Party.
Moulton focused on the need for reform within the Democratic Party in order to “put [it] in a position to win” the House of Representatives in 2026. He also discussed “how to respond to Trump” and the need for cross-party cooperation in Congress.
The discussion, which was moderated by government professor Russell Muirhead, was held in Filene Auditorium. Approximately 85 community members attended the event in person, while an additional 40 viewed the event online, according to Rockefeller Center assistant director for public programs and events Dvora Greenberg Koelling.
A Marine Corps veteran and former transportation business executive, Moulton has represented Massaschusetts’s sixth congressional district — which includes much of the northeast corner of the state — since 2015. In April 2019, Moulton launched a campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination before withdrawing that August.
After an introduction, Muirhead kicked off the event by asking Moulton about the “dark days” ahead for Democrats, after the party lost both the presidency and control of the Senate last November. Moulton noted that the Democrats “lost very badly,” prompting Moulton to ask, “What are we doing wrong?”
“We have lost touch with the majority of Americans,” Moulton said.
Muirhead then shifted the conversation to policy. He asked Moulton how Democrats should respond to the Trump administration’s stances on trade and immigration. According to Muirhead, “The two big domestic policies that kind of define Trump, immigration or border control and tariffs. I have trouble putting my finger on the Democratic alternative.”
Moulton argued that Democrats need to offer voters an “alternative,” since many Americans feel that “at least [Trump’s] doing something about immigration” and “living up to his campaign promise.” He said that “many Americans would agree with the fundamental need to address these problems.”
According to Moulton, the Democratic Party bled support in 2024 because it is perceived as “the party of government” in a time when the “federal government really needs reform.” Compounding those frustrations, Moulton added that there have been “big problems” in Democrat-run cities, citing Chicago and San Francisco as examples.
“You look to big blue cities, and they have a lot of problems,” Moulton said. “That doesn’t say to Americans, ‘Oh, we should put Democrats in charge of the country.’”
Moulton offered criticism of both parties. On the Trump administration’s foreign policy, he described the president as “very weak” regarding China and Russia and criticized Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for being “completely unprepared.”
“[Hegseth is] the least qualified secretary of defense we’ve ever had,” Moulton said.
If his party hopes to remain competitive, Moulton added that Democrats need to “show that [they] are open to reform” and “demonstrate very publicly that [they] are going to do things differently as a party.”
“That means less preaching and more listening,” he said. “It means putting people in positions of leadership who aren’t just from the most liberal, safest districts in the entire country.”
During an audience Q&A after the moderated discussion, one attendee asked Moulton why he referred to Trump as a “weak” leader, noting that the president is often said to have a “strong personality.” Moulton acknowledged that despite Trump’s public portrayals, he believed Democrats need to “point out ways in which [Trump is] weak.”
“He’s especially weak when it comes to national security, and Americans know that there are serious threats to our national security,” Moulton said.
Even if Democrats challenge Trump, Moulton added that the party should not campaign on the idea that “Trump is a bad person.” Instead, the focus needs to be on “where [Trump] is not delivering” — from inflation to the Russia-Ukraine war, he said. Moulton pointed specifically to Trump’s campaign promise that “the war in Ukraine would end on day one” of his presidency.
“Let’s talk about the places where he’s not fulfilling his promises,” Moulton said. “I think that’s a much more effective strategy than the outrage that we see today.”
Another attendee, who identified himself as a Moulton constituent and supporter, asked about Moulton’s history of being “at odds with Democratic party leadership.” In November, Moulton made national headlines for stating that Democrats’ stance on transgender athletes had cost the party support.
“The definition of political courage is standing up to your own party,” Moulton said. “I want to go to sleep each night feeling like I did the right thing.”
At the end of the event, Muirhead closed with a question on unity, asking Moulton, “How do you get along with Republicans?” In response, Moulton said he “believes in finding common ground,” adding that congresspeople “ought to put aside [their] differences to do what is right for America.”
“Having been in Iraq gives me a little bit of perspective,” Moulton said. “As bad as things are in Washington [D.C.], they could definitely be worse.”
Attendee Jesse Fitzelle-Jones ’27 said he agreed with Moulton that “the Democratic Party needs to change,” but said he disagrees with Moulton on what the “direction of said change” should be and on some of his “final conclusions.”
“I thought some of his evidence for the direction of that change was kind of shaky, like the idea of liberals [causing] the housing crisis,” Fitzelle-Jones said.
Attendee and Hanover resident Marcia Kelly said she has come to every talk sponsored by the Rockefeller Center this term but was “particularly interested in hearing [from Moulton].”
“I think he’s one of the people who could be the future of the Democratic Party,” she said.
