Donald Trump continues to hurt his own voters, and it has gotten much worse since his return to power. There is a temptation to gloat, laugh at and mock them, but that may be a trap which could further imperil American democracy.
When he returned to office in January 2025, the president promised to return America to a new “Golden Age” in which the country would always be “winning” and the envy of the world. Instead, America’s prestige has been greatly diminished. No longer the world’s greatest democracy, the country has become a cautionary tale of self-sabotage and rising autocracy. The economy is struggling, inflation is persistent and working families are worse off than when Trump took office. In just one year, the American Dream has moved even further out of reach for a large number, if not a majority, of working- and middle-class people.
