Democratic Michigan Senator and ex-CIA analyst Elissa Slotkin fired a blistering rejoinder at Donald Trump’s Congressional speech. Slotkin criticized the ex-president of spreading policies that would load Americans up economically and destroy democratic institutions.

Trump’s Policies Will Cost Americans, Says Slotkin

Slotkin, 48, who narrowly won a Senate contest in 2024, was not shy in her denunciation. “Trump was going to make you pay in every part of your life,” she warned, pointing out that his policies would increase the cost of healthcare. She also denounced his foreign policy, saying that he was “cosying up to dictators like Vladimir Putin.”

Who is Elissa Slotkin?

Elissa Slotkin brings significant national security background to the Senate:

She graduated from Cranbrook Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills and went on to receive a degree in sociology from Cornell University in 1998. She then received a Master’s in International Affairs from Columbia University in 2003.
Slotkin is fluent in Arabic and Swahili and was recruited by the CIA. She worked three tours in Iraq as a Middle East analyst.
She served in major national security positions in both Republican and Democratic administrations at the White House, State Department, and Department of Defense. Between 2015 and 2017, she was Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, leading counter-ISIS efforts and countering Russian aggression.
Her entry into politics was motivated by personal experience: her mother’s fight against ovarian cancer, complicated by the high cost of healthcare because of pre-existing conditions.
In 2018, she turned a Republican district in Michigan into a win for a seat in the House of Representatives. In 2024, she beat former Congressman Mike Rogers to take a Senate seat, becoming the youngest Democratic woman in the Senate at 48. She is a member of the Armed Forces, Homeland Security, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs Committees.

Slotkin Calls Out Trump’s Economic Claims

Slotkin rejected Trump’s economic promises and cited a contentious tweet by billionaire Elon Musk: “Elon Musk just called Social Security the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.” She concurred with reducing government waste but contended that reform “doesn’t have to be crazy or make us less secure.”

A Warning on Democracy

Beyond economic concerns, Slotkin warned of broader threats to democracy. Drawing on her national security background, she urged vigilance. “I’ve seen democracies flicker out,” she cautioned. “You can’t criticize the guys in charge without getting a knock on the door in the middle of the night.”

Her words highlight her role as a fierce critic of Trump, casting herself as an advocate for stability and accountability in Washington. As the next election cycle approaches, her words will further ignite discussions about America’s economic future and democratic integrity.