As Trump starts new term with grievance, NC Gov. Josh Stein chooses an alternative | Opinion
All eyes are on President Donald Trump as he begins his second stint in the White House, but his term isn’t the only one that’s just begun.
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein took office this month, too, and the two men couldn’t have begun their terms more differently. From their rhetoric to their executive actions, Trump and Stein have exhibited starkly different styles of leadership — a contrast that’s likely to continue over the next four years.
Take their inaugural addresses. Stein’s was a speech about being a governor for all of North Carolina, with specific calls for bipartisanship between himself, his fellow Democrats and Republicans in the legislature, because “good ideas do not come with party labels.” Trump’s address was more tailored to those who voted for him — he portrayed himself as the only person who can save the country from the betrayals and carnage caused by those who came before him. That’s not exactly unifying.
“I don’t want to say they couldn’t be more different, but if you look at Trump, the size and the scope and the partisanship and the tone was so unlike what Josh Stein was saying in his address,” Susan Roberts, a professor of political science at Davidson University, told me.
The first actions they’ve taken in office have been different, as well. Stein issued five executive orders related to Hurricane Helen recovery efforts. Two of the orders temporarily waived regulations to more quickly address housing and infrastructure needs in Western North Carolina, among other measures.
Trump’s first executive orders were far more political. On his first day in office, Trump used his executive power on a number of controversial issues, including ending birthright citizenship, issuing pardons for Jan. 6 defendants and adopting an official government policy of recognizing only two genders.
Those orders were campaign promises, of course, and Stein did fulfill a campaign promise of his own by issuing an executive order that extends protections for reproductive freedom and privacy. But it still emphasizes perhaps the biggest difference between Stein and Trump: that one governs with empathy, while the other governs with grievance.
That difference is further evident in the way Trump and Stein have approached Western North Carolina recovery efforts. While Stein has been forward-looking in his attempts to expedite aid for victims, Trump has been stuck in the past, using Helene as an opportunity to criticize the previous administration for a response he has deemed “the worst response in the history of hurricanes.”
Playing off of that contrast could be beneficial for Stein over the next four years. Trump’s presidency is likely to be tumultuous, and Stein has the opportunity to be the opposite: a stable source of leadership during a time of potential instability.
“Trump, I think by design and by temperament invites uncertainty, and to some degree, invites chaos. And I think Josh Stein is trying to be a countervailing force in the way he’s acting,” Chris Cooper, a Western Carolina University political science professor, said. “As much as Donald Trump’s unpredictability is purposeful, I think Josh Stein’s at least apparent predictability is intentional.”
That seems to be a strategy many Democrats across the country are adopting for Trump’s second term: more coexistence, and less resistance. The 2024 election once again taught Democrats that simply being the anti-Trump party is not a successful game plan. Governors like Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan have said that they’ll look to find common ground with Trump rather than reflexively oppose him — something that Stein seems to be doing with Trump on Helene.
“The Democratic Party is trying to create a brand that stands in stark contrast to Donald Trump. That’s true in North Carolina, and I think in other states as well,” Cooper said. “Hashtag resistance is not a great rallying cry for leadership. You’ve got to stand for something. And I think this time, that’s what the Democrats are trying to do.”
But what exactly that brand is could very well change in the next four years. While coming out swinging against Trump may not be an effective strategy just months after an election that he decisively won, that doesn’t mean it won’t be effective later. Cooper said that, based on historical patterns, he expects that Trump will be less popular in two years than he is today, and that Democrats will likely sharpen their critiques of him as a result. If support for Trump’s policies falls among Republicans and the Democrats that voted for him, Democrats like Stein could start to center him more in their narrative.
“There are things coming down the pipeline that will have a direct impact on North Carolinians,” Roberts said. “Trump has a lot more to lose in North Carolina than Stein does.”
