Khanna Talk Therapy

Ro Khanna, the ambitious Silicon Valley congressman and Bernie acolyte, just wrapped a three-city listening tour to rally despondent Democrats, let them vent, and offer a little hope. Mostly, though, he wants them to face up to the hard work ahead. “We can speak out, but there’s not much we can do beyond organizing and mobilizing in districts and being vocal,” Khanna told me. “And that’s the reality of the situation.”

Ro Khanna's visit to Southern California’s sprawling Inland Empire didn’t solve Democrats’ main problem—that they’ve been entirely boxed out of power in Washington—nor was it a sign of some far-reaching revolt by the citizenry against Trump. Photo: Paul Morigi/Getty Images

Peter Hamby

March 26, 2025

There was a whiff of optimism—maybe even hope—in the air when I showed up to witness the latest stop on Ro Khanna’s “Benefits Over Billionaires” tour in Norco, California, on Sunday. Here in the exurban sunshine were 1,000 or so Democrats, in a district represented by a Republican who’d been avoiding town halls in the wake of all those DOGE cuts, gathering on a weekend afternoon to hear from an only sort-of-famous Democratic congressman. For many of these Democrats—and they were all Democrats—it was the first time any of them had gathered together in person since last November’s defeat up and down the ballot.