From New York Times opinion, I'm Ross Douthad, and this is Interesting Times.

It's a difficult time for the Democratic Party.

Donald Trump's approval ratings have dropped sharply, but the Democrats remain incredibly

unpopular.

Liberalism is searching not just for a clear agenda, but also a clear idea of why

it lost, why the country turned right, and where the left might go from here. One notable

searcher is Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, who happens to represent my own home state of Connecticut,

the green suburban heart of

Blue America. Murphy has been front and center lately as an advocate of renewed capital

R resistance to the Trump administration, but he's also been a would-be theorist of the rise

of populism. He's argued, in language that, let's just say, doesn't always come easily to

democratic politicians, that the Trump era should be understood in terms of cultural,

even spiritual crisis. Can this theory fit with the practice of Democratic Party politics? Can you

resist Trump while understanding and adapting to Trumpism?

Let's find out.

Senator Murphy, welcome to interesting times.

They are interesting times. Thanks for having me.

That's right. Well, we paid you extra to confirm that for us. You're joining me from the bowels of the Capitol in Washington, D.C.? I'm in what they call my hideaway office. So I'm in the basement of the Capitol right now. You may hear some bells going off here during our conversation as the votes for the day get called.

All right. Terrific. That will give us some real urgency behind this conversation.

So I want to jump right in and talk about your party and the state of the Democrats because

we just marked 100 days of the second Trump administration. The media was full of takes on those 100 days,

how Trump was doing, how the White House is governing. And I want to ask you about the Democrats'

...