Whether you are on the Left, Right, or in the center, love him or hate him, there is no denying that President Trump is a powerful communicator. The debate performances of the Democrats on Thursday clearly show they have no one capable of matching his tenacity and uncanny ability to persuade. His capacity to harness a message that resonates with both his base and a dominant portion of the general electorate is unmatched. No one on that stage came close.

President Trump is heading into 2020 boasting a booming economy, record-low unemployment, and an increasingly unified Republican Party — all while the slate of Democratic presidential contenders struggle to establish their own identity. Unless these candidates somehow manage to grow a brand with a clear and genuine message to middle-America, Democrats will undoubtedly hand Trump a decisive victory in 2020. They continue to fall into the trap that being against Trump himself is not a brand. Yet, they continue to push each other to the Left and make their number one policy: “Trump bad!”

Top-tier candidates such as Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders are all making the same mistakes that Hillary Clinton made in 2016: they have no message other than, “I’m not him!” What policy plans they do have just seem to be calculated to be opposite of Trump's. Clinton’s slogan, “I’m With Her,” was nothing more than an ego boost. It highlighted the core of her message: I'm the anti-Trump candidate. But voters in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan wanted to hear more. They wanted to hear how a candidate would help them and their families.

In 2020, being anti-Trump won’t be enough. Those same voters want to hear how someone can be better than what Trump has been.

All 2020 Democratic candidates do have a message in common though. Unfortunately for them, and most Americans, it is one that only speaks to the plights of coastal liberals, illegal immigrants, and millennials. None of the candidates are speaking to the voters they need to win: white, non-college educated swing voters in the Midwest and South.

Biden, Warren, and Sanders all have the same brand: We're on the Left and we're anti-Trump. The “upstart” candidates like Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, and Beto O’Rourke are just younger versions of the same thing. While they call for massive tax hikes, socialized healthcare, and open borders, they are once again ignoring the workers, business owners, and families who are going to pay for it all.

Trump is talking directly to these voters. Poll after poll shows that a majority of the country opposes the Left’s radical agenda. MSNBC released a poll shortly after the second Democratic Presidential debates showing 54% of general election voters think eliminating private health insurance is a bad idea, and 66% of voters are against decriminalizing illegally crossing the border. Yet, during this third debate, we heard more of the same. Free this, free that, and not one clear or believable plan to make it possible without placing the burden on the hardworking men and women who want more of what they earn.

After three years of Trump, Democrats believe their debate in Houston will help put Republican strongholds like Texas in play with offers of free stuff and open borders. From the moment they took the stage, Biden, Sanders, Warren, Harris, and the rest of the bunch preached a message that would crush middle America along with any chance of defeating President Trump — no matter who the nominee is. The only thing the Democrats helped during Thursday's debate was President Trump’s reelection chances.

Matt Langston is a partner at Big Dog Strategies, which is a leading consulting firm in the country. He works directly with political and corporate clients to develop strategy, media relations, and grassroots advocacy. He has served in various campaign and political roles as well, including a presidential race, a U.S. Senate race, and on numerous other political campaigns at the local, state, and national level. He is a Texas native and holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Florida State University and his undergraduate from Baylor University.