How the 1980s 'yuppie phenomenon' paved the way for MAGA

04 June 2024

Long before urbanites were blaming hipsters for high rents, gentrification and displacement, yuppies were being attacked as anti-working class. Yuppie culture was the target of countless articles from liberals and progressive writers during the 1980s, and "die yummie scum" t-shirts were a hot commodity among punk and hip-hop fans.

In a lengthy essay/think piece published by Politico on June 4, Philadelphia-based author Tom McGrath argues that 1980s yuppies helped pave the way for Donald Trump's presidency and the MAGA movement.

Trump has painted himself as a staunch defender of the working class, famously saying, in 2016, that he "loves the poorly educated." But according to McGrath, the Trump of the 1980s and 1990s symbolized urban yuppie "excess."

"A wealthy New York real estate mogul may not have seemed particularly well-suited for the role of populist hero," McGrath explains, "but Donald Trump's historic realignment of white working-class voters not only delivered him the presidency in 2016, but changed the GOP as we know it. A recent Gallup survey indicates that more Republicans now identify as working or lower class than Democrats. And white voters without a college education, once a core Democratic constituency, remain a key element of Trump's reelection bid heading into November."

McGrath continues, "But for all the ink spilled over Trump's connection to the white-working class, it's actually a very different demographic that explains his ascension: yuppies."

McGrath, author of the new book "Triumph of the Yuppies: America, the Eighties, and the Creation of an Unequal Nation," notes that "eye rolling" over yuppies during the mid-1980s subsequently "hardened into a deeper resentment of what became known as 'the elites.'"

"By 2016, families at the top of the economic pyramid controlled 79 percent of all wealth in America, up from 60 percent in the 1980s," McGrath explains. "The percentage of wealth owned by the middle class dropped from 32 percent to 17 percent. Ironically, it was Donald Trump — if not a yuppie himself, then at least a walking symbol of 1980s glitz and excess — who spotted the political opportunity, persuading many working‐class Americans that he was on their side."

McGrath adds, "In office, Trump's only significant legislative accomplishment was a massive tax cut for wealthy Americans, though he also imposed significant trade tariffs on China — a curious mix of Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale."

Read Tom McGrath's full article for Politico at this link.

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