Donald Trump sailed to re-election in the US presidential race thanks to support from working-class voters in swing states – part of a larger trend in Western countries, where populist right-wing parties are increasingly attractive to workers. But the center left can and must win them back.
WARSAW – Donald Trump shocked the world in 2016 when he was elected US president, winning swing states in America’s Rust Belt, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, that have traditionally backed Democrats. Much the same story played out in November. The country’s former industrial heartland overwhelmingly voted for Trump and his promised to “make America great again.” According to exit polls, a majority of working-class people in key states – those who did not attend college and earn between $30,000 and $99,999 per year – backed Trump. That was true of white, Latino, and Black voters.
