Donald Trump’s second term will be a period of prosperity — for only a select group of Americans.
Data has consistently shown that economic policies enacted during Republican presidencies fail to “trickle down” any wealth to the masses. Not all Americans will benefit equally — particularly women and people of color. In times of high inflation, this racial and gender wealth gap is even more pronounced for family finances.
Tanner Day writes negatively about politicians using identity politics to gain electoral advantages, but that’s what Trump’s playbook each election cycle since 2016 has been. In fact, one of Trump’s most popular ads in 2024 stressed, “Kamala Harris is for they/them. I am for you.” To believe that his second term agenda benefits the racial groups and sexual identities he’s lambasted and singled out since 2016 is laughable.
The Democratic Party’s message failed to resonate with millions of voters, but classifying Trump’s reelection as “decisive” or a “landslide” would be erroneous and disingenuous. In fact, 74 million Americans showed up to the polls to continue the investments the Biden-Harris administration has made or stop Trump’s ascent to the presidency again. And, granted, Republicans will be the first to note that 76 million is more than 74 million; but so is 65 million compared to 62 million (see 2016 popular vote.) But by then, we’ll have to move the goalposts to one that favors the former president, in that case to the Electoral College.
And that’s the thing. For the next four years, the goalposts will be moved, and data will be presented to show that Trump’s policies are working, even if they mean that they are working for the smallest subset of Americans, at the expense of our natural landscapes and resources, at the cost of our human rights, or the erosion of our democracy.
Juan Rodriguez, Logan
