California Democrat brings Trump, Vance critique to Ohio
In an Ohio visit Monday, U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-CA, critiqued and offered a counterpoint the Trump administration.
At the City Club of Cleveland, he argued the president’s campaign tapped into genuine grievances in cities that saw jobs move overseas, “but they offer no hopeful vision, no real solutions for the future.”
Khanna jabbed Trump about “conquering” Greenland and building a fortress out of tariffs, but added, “you simply can’t have James Polk’s expansionism, and William McKinley’s protectionism, and expect to win in the 21st century.”
Polk’s administration annexed territory from Texas to Washington in the 1840s, at the cost of a war with Mexico, and heightened tensions between slave and free states. McKinley’s calling card in in Congress and as president was protectionism, although even he was having second thoughts when he was assassinated.
Khanna described the Trump administration’s tariff strategy as a disastrous self-inflicted wound. Instead of lashing out at other nations, U.S. leaders should be investing in companies that could be the economic engine of their communities.
Khanna termed this “economic patriotism” with lofty comparisons to the Marshall Plan that rebuilt Europe following World War II. But the more recent example was the CHIPS Act. Khanna argued the federal investment in companies like Intel yielded more than ten times as much in private dollars.
“We can do this for other industries,” he argued, “and we can do it in factory towns across this country.”
The benefit isn’t just improving the local tax base. He contends that economic development might begin to repair our politics. It’s difficult to despair when there are plenty of job opportunities, and a growing community breeds a sense of collective purpose.
But even as Khanna offered a collaborative vision for the future, the more competitive subtext was difficult to miss. At every turn, he emphasized Vice President J.D. Vance’s role shaping policy and rhetoric.
With President Trump constitutionally barred from a third term, Vance appears to be the party’s heir apparent. Khanna’s Midwest swing could be a campaign rehearsal — his effort to contrast his own vision against Vance’s hints at his own 2028 ambitions.
What attendees wanted to know
After speaking for about half an hour, several City Club attendees asked about several issues including immigration and economic policy.
On immigration, Khanna emphasized due process.
“I’m all for deporting people who have been convicted of violent crimes,” he said. “I just want to make sure we know whether they actually committed the violent crimes in the first place.”
Former Fox News commentator Geraldo Rivera, who lives in Shaker Heights, asked about the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man wrongly deported to El Salvador.
Khanna said if the Trump administration defies the Supreme Court order to facilitate Garcia’s return, that would precipitate a constitutional crisis. He pointed to Vance’s statements encouraging the president to ignore court orders.
“Even if you believe that people convicted of heinous crimes, as I do, should be deported, even if you believe that MS-13 gang members should be deported, you have to speak up for due process,” he said. “And even if you don’t agree with the due process, you have to speak up for listening to a Supreme Court in this country — the whole system depends on that.”
Other attendees asked if there’s really an appetite for rebuilding former factory towns among voters in places like Silicon Valley, which Khanna represents. And even if the political will exists, how do you avoid the red tape that has plagued industrial policy like the CHIPS Act and the Infrastructure law?
Khanna acknowledged that permitting has been a problem but it’s only one challenge. Permitting reform is “not going to magically redevelop Ashtabula County,” he argued. Federal financing to train workers and support businesses will be necessary. And he said there’s a long tradition of pairing private and public investment stretching back to Alexander Hamilton.
“If we inspire the American public with a common mission,” Khanna said, “we will overcome the propaganda and the anger and the falseness of what Trump and Vance are selling.”
“People are angry. That’s why they’re looking for alternatives,” he added. “We need to inspire them with a real one.”