The United States is suffering from a “low-grade fever,” Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) said on Sunday when describing the political climate.
Warnock sat alongside Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) during a joint interview on NBC’s “Meet The Press” for a conversation that focused a great deal on bipartisanship. At one point, moderator Kristen Welker asked Warnock if he feels like there is a “public anger and almost mistrust of people” working across the aisle.
“I think the whole country has what I call a low-grade fever,” Warnock said. “You know some mornings you wake up and you just don’t feel really well. You can’t even put your finger on it. We’ve been through four years of COVID. And people — you know, the early years of that, the early months of that, having to shelter in, all the trauma around that. Twenty years of what felt like an endless war, and then demagogues who make — you know, who exploit this moment through exacerbating the fault lines, the cultural fault lines of division in our country. And I think people just feel the full weight and the trauma of all of that.”
Warnock said he would encourage people, “especially in this season, is to look toward one another rather than to figure out — you know, rather than thinking about how we can hurt one another, how we can pray with one another rather than prey on one another.”
The senator went on to declare that he still has “great hope” for the U.S.
“Our ideals of unity, of inclusion, of equality,” Warnock said. “And the American story is about pushing us closer towards those ideals. And there have been moments when the — the democracy has expanded. There have been moments when it’s contracted. But any woman will tell you that even contractions are necessary for birth. And so I remain hopeful even in this moment. But it’s going to be hard work.”
Warnock also shared what his message is to Democrats on what they can do to improve heading into the new year after Republicans retained the House and won back control of the Senate and the White House in the 2024 election.
“Well, look, you’ve got to listen to the people,” Warnock said. “We just had an election and I think we have to take some time to listen to what the folks are saying, what the people are saying, everyday people are saying, and continue to build on our values. Look, I’ve had success doing bipartisan work, working with people like Ted Cruz and I did legislation together. I’ve worked with Republican senators in Alabama to defend and support farmers. A lot more bipartisan work happens very often than you think. Sometimes it’s not talked about because that doesn’t necessarily fit.”
