It seems that every time Democrats take a swing at Donald Trump’s nominees, they end up getting outsmarted. On Tuesday, Pete Hegseth got his moment to shine under fire. On Wednesday, Pam Bondi got her moment to make Senate Democrats look stupid.
And it was very enjoyable.
The Democrats’ attempts to undermine Trump’s picks have repeatedly backfired, and Hegseth, whose confirmation seemed in doubt before, now appears on the verge of confirmation. While Democrats seem largely resigned to the fact that Pam Bondi will be confirmed, they tried their best to damage her, though repeatedly came up short.
The most common tactic was obsessing about the 2020 election and claiming that Trump tried to “overturn” it.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), for example, referenced Trump’s call to Georgia’s secretary of state, claiming Trump demanded votes be “found.” Bondi countered by exposing how Durbin was taking Trump’s quote out of context, forcing Durbin to concede that the actual call was roughly an hour long. In fact, the transcript shows Trump was urging a deeper investigation into reported election irregularities—not asking for fabricated votes. Once again, Democrats’ attempts to smear Trump and his nominees collapse under the weight of their own hypocrisy.
In the same vein, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) thought he could bully Bondi into agreeing with his narrative on voter fraud claims in Pennsylvania back in 2020. Bondi refused to be intimidated. When Padilla repeatedly interrupted her, Bondi calmly stood her ground, rejecting his selective questioning, calling him out for his rudeness. It’s a testament to her ability to not let partisan tactics cloud her answers.
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It wasn’t just Padilla who had trouble getting the better of Bondi. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), notorious for his role in promoting the Russia collusion narrative, took a shot at her, questioning whether she had been instructed to investigate Liz Cheney. Bondi quickly shut down Schiff’s baseless accusations, calling them politically motivated. She didn’t let his reckless questions pass without reminding him of his own censure by Congress, which was awesome.
🔥 MUST WATCH: Future Attorney General Pam Bondi shuts down Pencil Neck:
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) January 15, 2025
"I'm not going to mislead this body, nor you. You were censured by Congress for comments like these." pic.twitter.com/uYRAnM34DX
Meanwhile, Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) has repeatedly showcased her lackluster questioning skills, often relying on recycled allegations that have already been debunked. Her exchanges with Trump’s nominees have mostly resulted in self-inflicted wounds, and Bondi played her like a fiddle, calling her out for refusing to meet with her.
Watching the confirmation hearings, a pattern kept appearing: Democrats’ attempts to discredit Trump nominees often end up backfiring. Whether it’s Durbin’s hollow attacks on loyalty, Padilla’s failed pressure tactics, or Hirono’s ineffective questioning, they continue to underestimate the sharp minds of those they oppose.
In the end, it’s clear that Trump’s nominees have proven time and again that they’re not easy targets for the Democrats' political posturing. Democrats can try to undermine them all they want, but the more they attack, the more they expose their own contradictions and weak arguments. It’s a battle they can’t seem to win.
