Democrats host the city hall to hear from voters, start supporters – but are their messages resonating?

Bethlehem, Pa. – In the “People’s City Hall” on Thursday held by the Democratic National Committee, in a church located in the Pennsylvania district which was lost from Democrats in Republican parties in 2024, party leaders fired the crowd while slamming the White House and Republican Congress on Medicaid, Federal Government Cutting, and other problems.

City Hall is one of the strategies used by Democrats to try to make their bases facing the Trump White House – but the participants there and at other events say they are still looking for a Democratic party to face the Republican party more directly.

The Chairman of DNC Ken Martin, spoke at the Bethlehem event, called President Donald Trump and the main advisor Elon Musk “Cowards,” tearing the crowd by framing the duo work in a Stark term.

“There is no moral about what these cowards are doing, and there is no moral about what we see today in Washington, DC, such as Donald Musk – Donald Trump and his president, President Musk, decided to do so, signing that executive orders that eliminate the Ministry of Education, who will have an disproportionate impact on communities that are not related to many of these children,” martus in all countries.

And Rep. Democrat Maryland Jamie Raskin, who received among the loudest applause of one of the panelists, took a clearer tone: “Don’t let anyone tell you that we are in a constitutional crisis,” Raskin said.

“Because it sounds too passive. It’s too ambiguous. This is an attack on the United States constitution, and we will defend the United States constitution!”

Republicans face fierce pushbacks at direct events

The Democratic Party claims that they hold this city hall as a way to hear directly from voters.

“The purpose of this city hall is not for us to spread our messages, but we to hear from people throughout this country now faces a deep and serious impact on their own lives, to their environment and community, because of what this government is doing,” Martin told ABC News on Thursday after the City Hall.

But Martin and the others, explicitly, also emphasized the idea that Democrats emerged and hosted these events while the Republican party pulled back from being the host of the direct event or facing a fierce pushback from constituents when they did. Some loud applause in the church on Thursday came when the speaker criticized the district representative, Ryan Mackenzie – who in 2024 narrowly turned the chair held by Democrat Susan Wild.

Arnaud Armstrong, a spokesman for Mackenzie, told ABC News in a statement on Wednesday that Mackenzie had answered questions on direct events and would run telephone city hall on Thursday night to enable more people to talk to congress members, including disabled people or seniors who might struggle to make events directly.

During the telephone city hall, Mackenzie said, “This is the best way I found to reach thousands of people at once and can have this kind of conversation.”

Democratic Democrats

City Hall came when Democratic voters showed disappointment with their party.

New CNN/SSRS SPIRIT Taken in early March found that 52% of Democrats or independents that tend to be Democrats felt that the leadership of Democrats brought the party in the wrong direction, and that 57% felt that the party mainly had to work to “stop the republic’s agenda.”

While waiting in queues outside to enter the city hall, some residents of the Lehigh Valley Pennsylvania region told ABC News that President Donald Trump’s actions approached home or worried about them – but they were disappointed with the broader response of democracy so far.

‘Very mixed feelings’ about Democratic Response’ to Trump

Carole Ostfeld, a retired teacher from Allenow, Pennsylvania, came with a sign that read “Hands Off Medicaid.” She and her husband David told ABC News that they went out to City Hall to protest Trump and Musk, including Trump’s actions with the Ministry of Education.

But asking how they felt about the democratic response to Trump’s administration, Carole Ostfeld said, “I have a very mixed feeling -“

Her husband added, “It must be more.”

Asked whether the Democratic message resonated with them, Carole Ostfeld said that – but, “as they said, you cannot fight the city hall,” because the Republican party is in power.

Another participant, Ann Frechette from Easton, Pennsylvania, said the news about Trump signed an order to dismantle the Ministry of Education, who came that day, struck near the house. “I have a son in a college who benefit from the Pell grant,” he told ABC News. “And I’m afraid that Pell Grant will disappear, money like that will be lost. He is in Medicaid, I think he might lose his health insurance. There are many things.”

But a broader democratic response also disappointed him. While he praised several individual parliament members, including Raskin, he added, “I think Democrats in general, they are not – I am a Democrat, but my party does not seem to get the message delivered last November. I want people to face what is being done.”

Develop supporters

Which said, the city hall itself with many successful steps – or at least, democratic speakers can improve their supporters.

All benches are fulfilled, with several participants standing behind or the side of the holy place; And the crowd gave a festive applause to the speakers several times – especially when, for example, Raskin spoke of facing Trump or former Democratic REP Susan Wild criticized the powerful representatives.

People pay attention when members of the audience share their own stories and questions, and then praise them warmly, cheering with their colleagues in clear support shows.

During the question and answer section from the City Hall, the participants expressed concern about the future of Medicaid, educational programs, and other problems.

Another participant, Terri Neifert, told many people that he had lived in Bethlehem almost throughout his life and became disabled after falling in a grocery store, which changed his life path. He said he managed to get his title and support his family through Medicare, Food Bank, and social security disability.

“If they cut Medicare, Medicaid, food coupons … I will lose everything,” Neifert told many people.

Neifert received a festive applause from the audience, and the other participants came to him after the event was wrapped to thank him for sharing his story.

Asked by ABC News after the City Hall how he felt at that time about the Democratic response to Trump’s administration, Neifert – similar to other participants – focused on the way ahead.

“It looks like this will be a fight, and heavy battles … more public protests, more parade, and the congress needs to attract the big pants of their boys and start doing their work,” Neifert said.

Go to the street

Some Democrats or Allies who are in harmony with Democrats take different tactics from the City Hall and go to the street.

Senator Bernie Sanders, a progressive independent of Democrats, has been on the road for weeks with what he calls the “Oligarchy Fighting” tour, making it stop for demonstrations in the right and left districts. The Democratic Party has shown support for its efforts, re -posting social media posts from Sanders about the tour.

Out there on the Sanders tour, some participants said they were disappointed with the party’s response to Trump.

“They have to be a little more resilient,” one general meeting to the co-dashor “this week” Jonathan Karl at the Denver event. The others are Blunter: “Stop into a group of mat.”

But – in a sign that the demonstration may be a successful tactic for Democrats to reach their base – they attract thousands of people. Sander Denver’s appearance, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., brought more than 30,000 participants.

Sanders said it was the biggest general meeting he had ever hosted – bigger than a demonstration in his two rounds of the president.

Sanders himself has his own criticism for the Democratic Party, telling Karl in an interview about ABC News’ “this week” that Democrats should do more for people who work when they have control over the Senate.

“And since then, do I think Democrats have been effective in raising the American people, in stopping the Trump movement towards oligarchy and authoritarianism? No, I don’t,” Sanders told Karl.

Donna Brazile, a former DNC chairman and ABC News contributor, said that “this week” after Sanders’ interview, said, “Bernie Sanders fills the blanks, the large emptiness left afterward Banya War, Banya War, Banya War, Banya War, Banya War, Banya War, Banya War, Banya War, Banya War, Banya War, Banya War, Banya War, Banya War, Banya War, Banya War, Banya War, Banya War, Banya War, Banya War, Banya War, Banya War, Ager, Ager, Banya War.

The emptiness is one that is expected by Democrats to be filled with this event.

Martin, asked by ABC News after the Bethlehem City Hall whether he thought Democratic messages would resonate in the Republican districts or with Democrats themselves, saying that was not his intention.

“This is really not about the message that resonates,” Martin said. “Is this about listening to people. Hearing the worries of Americans today in this entire country, who deserve to be heard, right?”

Martin added later: “We will fill the blanks for them, and we will talk to more people throughout this country.”

ABC News’ Hannah Demissie, Isabella Murray, Jonathan Karl, Meghan Mstry and Quinn Scanlan contributed to this report.