Democrats tread carefully with Trump amid fears of retaliation  Politico  By Marianne LeVine, Burgess Everett and Sarah Ferris,

Sen. Dick Durbin was out for a bike ride on a recent Sunday at a park in his hometown of Springfield, Ill., when his phone rang.

It was Vice President Mike Pence.

“I pulled my bike over to the curb and talked to him about everything under the sun, from the whole question of beds and medical equipment and then on down the line,” the Senate minority whip recalled. “I found him to be constructive and positive in our communications.”

Durbin's account notably did not center on the series of serious missteps that most Democrats see in President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The state comes first,” Durbin said. “And if being a tough cop gets it done, fine. If being a nice cop gets it done, fine. I will take any approach I can use effectively to help our state.”

Congressional Democrats have spent four years berating Trump as unhinged and unprepared for a crisis. But now, they must work with the White House to save lives in their states — a reality that could spare Trump from some of their harshest attacks.

Some Democrats say they fear any criticism lobbed at the Trump administration could come with retribution that has real costs. The dilemma facing lawmakers also comes as the 2020 elections approach, when Trump will seek to oust Democrats from office and their job performance amid the crisis will be judged.

There’s perhaps no better example of someone facing this conflict than Sen. Doug Jones, the Alabama Democrat who has become the GOP’s top target in the Senate this November.

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