President Donald Trump is losing support among working-class Americans as his administration struggles to convince voters it can improve the economy. The growing dissatisfaction creates an opening for Democrats to win over individuals who have become disillusioned with Trump's economic promises. Democratic strategist Morris Katz believes winning back working-class voters is key to the party's success, but Democrats must have a well-executed strategy and deliver on their promises to earn their support.
In an interview with The Atlantic, Katz discusses what he believes is working for Democrats and what needs to change for the party to gain a political advantage. Katz believes Democrats have become too closely aligned with wealthy donors and political elites, resulting in them seemingly becoming out of touch with working people. In Katz’ eyes, there needs to be a shift in focus to growing economic issues, particularly the influence of billionaires and corporate interests.
In Katz’s experience, voters are more concerned with their financial struggles and economic well-being than cultural or social issues. He argues that Democrats should recognize this distinction and focus on addressing the everyday economic pressures instead of Democrats highlighting social issues they believe will win back voters. Katz asserts that by doing so, Democrats can build a stronger connection with working-class voters, creating a reliability factor there that’s currently missing.
A July analysis from The New York Times reveals that Trump lost the trust and support of working-class Americans, specifically blue-collar white voters without college degrees. During his first term, Trump maintained strong support among working-class white voters, who largely approved of his handling of the economy by margins of 30 percentage points or more. That support has dramatically decreased during his second term.
At the time of the NY Times analysis, polls showed working-class white voters now disapprove of his economic leadership by margins ranging from 14 to more than 30 percentage points. The shift suggests that voters who once viewed Trump as an economic champion became increasingly dissatisfied with his ability to address their financial concerns and deliver on his promises.
Trump’s economic approval has fallen among nearly every demographic. But his declining support among working-class white voters, a group that has been central to his political base for the past decade, could be one of the most significant political developments of his term. Trump’s advisers have tried to rebuild support by promoting the tax cut packages, but not everyone was sold.