If there is one thing Republicans should thank Democrats for, it is their treatment of Donald Trump. Trump was a lifetime Democrat who holds fairly socially liberal views, arguably more socially liberal in some areas than any prior major candidate. It’s not as though he doesn’t hold Republican views, but at his a core he is a rather heterodox politician. However, it’s been noted that over time Trump has more closely adopted Republican priorities and policies and many point to the hostility he’s faced from the Democrat party as the reason. To whatever extent this is true, you can be sure it is not false.

There is a clear path for the Democrats to divide Republicans and drive their policy agenda with very little formal power, co-op Trump. How do they co-op him? Very simple, flatter him. The president reads his own press to an almost obsessive degree and it gets to him. He criticizes those who criticize him and praises those who praise him. He even admitted to it in his recent speech! If they praised him where they agreed with him, expect him to return the favor.

So the question is, where do their ideas align? On this point, there is definitely a vast level of subjectivity. As an example, this poll on free trade perceptions should illustrate the power of partisan politics. Following the election of Trump, support for NAFTA jumped for Democrats and fell for Republicans. It also undermined my view that the Republican party has been a consistent voice in favor of free trade. Though the poll hasn’t been conducted regularly, this is the first time the two parties showed a major divergence in support, a sign of our polarized times. Political priorities are constantly shifting and to a certain extent the election of Trump reflected a changing electorate, so it may be that historical positions don’t reflect the modern Democrat party. That said, this isn’t a demand that they pursue specific policies, but an idea on how they can. It’s possible the Democrat party sees partisan politics as more electorally successful than a few policy victories, and the Gallup poll definitely supports this theory. However, if the Democrat party wants to drive their agenda and split Republicans over policy, try find somewhere that they’re party is willing to agree with Trump on. From there flatter his intelligence and refrain from putting forward legislation that includes a poison pill for Republicans.

Is it too late to change tact? Most likely, which makes this thought experiment essentially a waste of time. On the other hand, an embattled president might be open to a far more conservative push if the Never Trump faction takes this advice.