Opinion | America bids farewell to Trump, but Trumpism lives on
- Support for the disgraced leader’s brand of politics cuts across a wide swathe of US society, tapping into people’s deep-seated frustrations. Joe Biden should expect an uphill battle getting his administration’s agenda passed in Congress
Notwithstanding the drama of a second impeachment, the ambivalence of many party heavyweights suggests that the GOP cannot afford to alienate a majority of Republican voters. According to a recent poll by Quinnipiac University, reported in The New York Times, 80 per cent of Republican voters say they do not hold Trump responsible for the rioting and 73 per cent think he is protecting democracy.
Trump’s popularity is no mere iconoclasm. By hook or by crook, he has managed to capture the zeitgeist of American politics – deep-seated frustrations and anger speaking to the heart and soul of the nation.
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Trump pressures Pence to block Congress’ confirmation of Biden’s presidential win
A large swathe of less-educated, white working-class Americans, especially blue-collar workers, have become increasingly disgruntled. They feel that successive governments have left them behind with dwindling job opportunities and stagnant wages. Trump has successfully turned their anger on an “elitist” Democratic Party championing free trade, globalisation, Wall Street and digital behemoths.
