Who Is Elissa Slotkin, Former CIA Analyst Who Took On Donald Trump In Congress

Senator Elissa Slotkin, a first-term Democrat from Michigan, delivered a direct and measured response to President Donald Trump's lengthy and combative address to Congress. Speaking from Wyandotte, Michigan, she warned that Trump was "going to make you pay in every part of your life," arguing his policies would drive up healthcare costs and burden Americans financially.

Ms Slotkin, 48, who won a tough Senate race last year, took on the challenging task of countering a president she described as "cosying up to dictators like Vladimir Putin."

Who is Elissa Slotkin?

• Elissa Slotkin attended Cranbrook Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills and later earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Cornell University in 1998. In 2003, she obtained a Master's in International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. 
• Fluent in Arabic and Swahili, she was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) after graduation. As a Middle East analyst, Ms Slotkin completed three tours in Iraq alongside the US military.
• She went on to hold key national security roles in the White House, working on the Iraq portfolio under President George W Bush and later serving in the State Department and Department of Defence under President Barack Obama. She served as the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security Affairs from 2015 to 2017, handling critical matters like the fight against ISIS and US responses to Russian aggression.
• Ms Slotkin's decision to enter politics was influenced by her mother's condition, who had ovarian cancer and struggled with high healthcare costs due to pre-existing conditions. In 2018, she won a seat in the US House of Representatives as part of a wave of Democratic women with military or intelligence backgrounds. She flipped a Republican-held district in swing state Michigan. Throughout her congressional career, she opposed Donald Trump's policies.
• In 2024, Ms Slotkin ran for the US Senate and won in Michigan against former Congressman Mike Rogers. She became the youngest Democratic woman elected to the Senate at 48. She is a member of key committees, including the Armed Forces, Homeland Security, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs.

In Trump's Congressional speech, Ms Slotkin dismissed Trump's economic promises, pointing out that "Elon Musk just called Social Security the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time." While agreeing that government waste should be cut, she argued that change "doesn't need to be chaotic or make us less safe."

Ms Slotkin also warned of broader threats to democracy, urging Americans to stay engaged. "I've seen democracies flicker out," she said. "You can't criticise the guys in charge without getting a knock on the door in the middle of the night."