He Talks like Them, We Talk Like LinkedIn
- Ronan Nauert
- Apr 16
- 5 min read
In an article written just 2 months ago, I sharply criticized the Democratic Party (I, myself am a registered Democrat) for their faulty defense against Trump, saying that they had proven themselves “handicapped in meaningfully combatting [Trump].” But (as we have seen in the past weeks), things change rapidly in the Trump presidency. And, I now think it is safe to say that Democrats are rejuvenated and ready to take meaningful action.
In the face of Republican’s willful ignorance of their constituents, Democratic celebrities such as Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DNC Chair Ken Martin, Minnesota Governor (and former Vice Presidential nominee) Tim Walz, as well as many others are going around the country to visit Republican districts where the Representative has refused to hold a town hall. I certainly am not a fan of all of these people; in fact, I'm sharply critical of many.
However, what they are doing is exactly what Democrats should be doing.
Democrats have spent hours agonizing over the paradox of working-class support for Trump. Again and again, friends and family ask me the same question: Why would working-class people think a selfish billionaire will solve their problems? Indeed, it is contradictory. But, in true paradoxical fashion, it ignores something more important to Americans than policies: vibes. Once you look at that, it all starts to make sense.
Even though Democratic policies are almost indisputably better for the working- class, the once working-class party has remade itself during the Trump era. Since the 2016 election, Suburbanite Country Club Republicans have flocked to the Democratic Party. Once Republican strongholds such as Orange County, Waukesha County, Cobb County, and other highly-educated counties around the country have bolted left. But, these gains with high-income voters have not come without a cost.
Predictably, the newly highly educated base of the party alienated many working-class Americans who once made up the party. While this may have just started with the white working class in Appalachia and the Rust Belt, it soon spread to working-class racial minorities (starting in 2020 and continuing in 2024).
But, as mentioned above, this presents a grave paradox. Democratic policies (such as corporate tax hikes and higher taxes on the wealthy) would hurt their high-income base, while Republican policies (such as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act) seem to do little for their working-class base.
But, many working-class people do not vote for Trump because of his policies. As one construction worker said to the New York Times, Trump is a “trash talker” and “if you go [onto] a construction site, that's what we do.” In other words, Trump says the same things as them. Even though it may not be politically correct, he puts into words what they have been thinking.
The same language has drastically changed the voting habits of upper-class Americans but in a drastically different way. The same language that has enthralled working-class Americans has repelled many wealthy suburbanites from the Republican party.
The point I want to make with all of this is that whether we like it or not, Trump's language (however cruel and dangerous it may be) has given a voice to a deep agony among the working class. Of course, this language remains anything but acceptable– but Democrats cannot continue flatly denying anything he says and dehumanizing his supporters.
The most powerful thing we can do is quite simple: get out and talk to people! Not just in big cities. We need to show working people that we are on their side and more than anything, we need to show them that we are listening.
This is why what Bernie Sanders and AOC (amongst other Democrats) are doing is perfect. While they have gone to Democratic strongholds like Colorado, California, and others, they are also going to deep-red states like Idaho, Iowa, and Florida.
This is not to say that there is not so much more to do. The Democratic Party is still in a dire state. The Party’s recent surrender on the Republican budget plan was shameful. But, signs are starting to show that we are doing something right. So far, Democrats have vastly overperformed in Florida Congressional elections, won a hard-fought seat in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, and flipped public opinion in their favor on a variety of issues (notably, the economy). Furthermore, (as noted above) Democrats have been going around the country and holding town halls and getting out of their comfort zone, and the Democratic base is eagerly taking any chance to oppose the Trump agenda.
On the Republican side, it looks significantly less bright. While they eventually got it passed, they had significant trouble getting their members on board with their budget plan, they have divided themselves over an amendment to allow new mothers to vote, and are already losing the vote of public opinion on their tariff plans– before they are even implemented.
Don’t get me wrong, there are good signs. But that does not make what the President is doing any less dangerous. In a myriad of ways, he is intentionally dismantling our democracy and oppressing opposing views.
What we cannot let happen is for this to just be a temporary line of resistance that slowly fades. We need to keep up the pressure on the new administration and, if anything, we must do more, not less to fight.
Photo Credit:
[Header]: Doug Mills | The New York Times
[Embedded 1]: Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch
[Embedded 2]: USA Today
Sources:
[1]- USAID is Out, Dictators Are In—And Putin is Raising a Glass to It!
[6]- Who Wins Wisconsin May Depend on This Crumbling G.O.P. Stronghold - The New York Times
[14]-Unpacking the TCJA: Who Benefits and Who Loses from Extending Major Provisions | Tax Policy Center
[17]- Schumer to vote to advance House-passed government funding bill
[18]- Republicans win — but underperform — in both Florida special elections - POLITICO
[23]- Majority believes the wealthy and large corporations will benefit the most from Trump’s tariff plan | The Independent
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