By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Senior National
Correspondent
The Democratic National Committee has launched a new War Room in an all-hands effort to counter former President Donald Trump’s return to power and what party leaders call a destructive MAGA agenda. The move signals a shift in posture, with Democrats aiming to act aggressively instead of remaining reactive as Trump and Republicans advance policies, they say are hurting working Americans.
The DNC said the new War Room will integrate communications, research, and mobilization into a single streamlined operation to drive cohesive daily messaging, expand into new media spaces, and counter misinformation and lies from the right. “While Donald Trump continues to push an agenda that raises costs, destroys jobs, and ruins lives, he also continues to lie, spin, and cheat his way out of accountability — and the DNC is doubling down on its efforts to provide the American people with real facts and accurate information about the impact of his policies,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said.
DNC Executive Director Roger Lau added, “Our new War Room will only increase our capacity to make sure Trump, Elon Musk, and MAGA Republicans never get away with pulling the rug out from under the American people.” Tim Hogan, the DNC’s new Senior Advisor for Messaging, Mobilization, and Strategy, will lead the war room. Hogan, a veteran political strategist and former communications director for Senator Amy Klobuchar’s 2020 campaign, will oversee the expanded operation.
He’s worked on campaigns across the country, led communications for The Hub Project, and held roles on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign and with former Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Steven Horsford. “Donald Trump and his cabinet of billionaires are tanking the economy, dismantling public education, attacking Social Security, and gutting health care to line the pockets of their wealthy friends,” Hogan asserted. “The country is in chaos. The DNC War Room will scale its rapid response and hold the Trump administration accountable.”
The War Room will reach beyond traditional Democratic audiences by building an influencer network and engaging in conservative and mixed-media spaces. It will coordinate daily talking points, deliver actionable polling, and amplify real-time rapid response messaging. To counter misinformation, the DNC is launching the “People’s Cabinet,” which draws on experts in health care, the economy, public safety, and more.
The Cabinet is modeled in spirit after the United Kingdom’s Shadow Cabinet, offering voters a direct policy contrast to Trump’s unqualified inner circle of billionaires and conspiracy theorists. Its members will lead town halls, produce media content, and offer fact-based alternatives to Trump’s policies in Republican-held districts. The DNC is also partnering with state parties and sister committees to host “People’s Town Halls” — local events that spotlight the concerns of Americans ignored by GOP lawmakers. These efforts aim to show what Democrats say are the real stakes of the Trump administration’s agenda.
The party’s deep research files on Trump, Musk, J.D. Vance, and Republicans down the ballot will continue to fuel digital and traditional media content, putting the GOP on the defensive ahead of 2026 and beyond. While some observers question whether the People’s Cabinet and War Room will fully ignite the Democratic base, MSNBC editor Hayes Brown said the approach holds promise. “It’s an opportunity that the Democrats would be wise not to squander.”
