Talarico Urges Democrats to Work With Trump for Historic Final Two Years

Texas Sen.-elect James Talarico has urged Democrats to work with President Donald Trump to make the final two years of his administration the most productive in U.S. history, arguing that electoral victories mean little unless they produce immediate change.

Speaking Thursday at the What’s Next conference in Denver, the newly elected Democrat invoked former President Lyndon B. Johnson’s legislative legacy as a model for cooperation across party lines.

Talarico Offers Trump an LBJ Legacy

“Some of these reforms may not pass until 2029, but the American people cannot wait two years for change. So we must work with President Trump. If President Trump wants the same plaques and portraits and busts as LBJ, we can help make that a reality. We should make the final two years of his presidency the most productive of any presidency in American history, because this moment is so much bigger and so much more important than the red team or blue team. It’s so much bigger than a party.”

The reference followed Talarico’s Senate orientation, when he encountered tributes to Johnson in the Capitol and recalled that Johnson’s daughter, Lucy Baines Johnson, attended his election-night speech and said she was glad he had her father’s job.

Democratic Majorities Face Presidential Veto

Democrats captured both chambers of Congress in the November 3 midterms, but Trump remains president until January 20, 2029, and retains veto authority. The incoming Congress takes office January 3, 2027, so legislation requiring his signature still depends on presidential cooperation.

Trump has said he will work with Democrats after accepting the midterm results.

Texas Victory Strengthens Talarico’s Message

Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton with approximately 55% of the vote, becoming the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas since Lloyd Bentsen’s 1988 re-election.

His victory followed a campaign in which Elon Musk spent heavily to support Paxton. Campaign-finance reporting placed Musk’s support at more than $168 million through related channels.

Economic Reform and Political Cooperation

Beyond cooperation with Trump, Talarico called for immediate affordability measures, changes to an economic system he argued favored the wealthiest 1%, restrictions on billionaire influence in elections and a nationwide ban on gerrymandering.

He also urged Democrats to move away from partisan hostility: “We must bridge the divides between us. We must repair the ties that bind us.”

He closed by invoking Thomas Paine and calling for a new Great Society, saying it was time to go big or go home.

His central argument was that the party’s new majorities should be judged by reforms delivered to voters, not simply by defeating Republicans.