"Ever since Donald Trump's election in 2016, liberals and the left have struggled to understand the meaning of his rise, and that of "Trumpism," for American politics. When Trump entered the political scene, he was hard to take seriously. In his first campaign, he seemed-initially, at least-to be a zombie headline straight from the New York Post 's"Page Six": a faded reality-TV star, a bankrupt real estate speculator, a huckster, a creep, and a punch line."
"Having placed their hopes in Hillary Clinton, they marched to slogans like "Not My President." Trump might be in the White House, but it was unfathomable to view him as an enduring threat. Sure, he spoke for a large minority of Americans-the prejudiced, the left-behind, the economically disadvantaged white working class, the "deplorables" (to quote Clinton herself) who were having trouble adapting to changing racial, ethnic, and sexual norms."
Initial perceptions of Donald Trump presented him as a dismissed celebrity, bankrupt real estate speculator, reality-TV figure, and political punch line. Many liberals regarded Trumpism as a reactionary remnant reflecting prejudiced, left-behind, and economically disadvantaged white voters struggling with social change. The 2020 defeat encouraged beliefs in a return to reason and normalcy under Joe Biden. Trump's 2024 victory and gains with Black and Latino voters demonstrated a growing, legitimate coalition and pushed his movement beyond a temporary interregnum. Trumpism proved resilient and capable of reshaping American electoral alignments and challenging prevailing liberal expectations.
Read at The Nation
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