Bernie Sanders: Not all Trump voters are racist and sexist – these are the people we lied to

Again and again, I made it clear that Donald Trump was not only a pathological liar and despot, but that if defeated, he would most likely violate the Constitution, accept defeat, and voluntarily resign. Unfortunately, the January 6, 2021 uprising and subsequent revelations made it abundantly clear that my fears were valid and that much of the national Republican Party had slid into right-wing anti-democratic extremism.

This became even more evident in 2022, when Trump-backed state election opponents across the country changed the Republican line. And so it will be in 2024, when Trump again runs for his party and for the presidency.

One of the more troubling aspects of the 2020 election was that despite Joe Biden’s victory, Trump received 10 million more votes than he did in 2016. He did particularly well in the white, rural, economically weak parts of the country. Why? Why did working-class people, many of whom were in dire economic straits, vote for Trump? Why was he able to hold rallies in the wilderness, which attracted tens of thousands of enthusiastic supporters?

I know that some pundits and politicians answer these questions by saying that all Trump supporters are racist, sexist and homophobic; that they are indeed “unfortunate” and that nothing can be done about them. Forgiveness. I disagree. And I must know. I have been to almost every state in this country and, unlike expert economists, I have actually spoken to Trump supporters. Are some of them racists and sexists who vote for bigotry? Absolutely. But not many.

I think the better answer to why Trump got working-class support lies in the pain, desperation, and political alienation that millions of working-class Americans are now experiencing, and the degree of Democratic Party support for them has let down wealthy campaign workers. and “beautiful people”.

These are Americans whose real wages are not changing and their good union jobs are going to China and Mexico, while the rich are getting richer. They cannot afford health care, they cannot afford childcare, they cannot afford to send their children to college, and they fear inadequate pensions. In fact, their communities are experiencing a decline in life expectancy due to what doctors call “diseases of despair.”

Many of these voters have played by the rules all their lives. They worked very, very hard and gave their best for their children and society. At the height of the pandemic, they didn’t have the luxury of sitting at home in front of a computer and working “virtually”. They risk their lives to work in hospitals, factories, warehouses, public transport, meat packers and supermarkets. They supported the economy and many thousands of people died.

Many of these so-called racist Americans voted for Barack Obama, our first black president, as well as Hope and Change and Yes We Can. And they voted for his re-election. But her life didn’t get better.

After nearly 50 years of wage stagnation, the Democrats were in power, but we didn’t raise workers’ wages. After numerous illegal anti-union actions by companies, we have not made it easy for employees to join a union. We have not improved job security.

We didn’t address corporate greed or huge disparities in income and wealth. We have not provided health care for everyone or reduced the cost of prescription drugs. We have not made childcare and higher education affordable. We didn’t say anything about homelessness or the high cost of housing. We have not made it easy for workers to retire in a safe and dignified manner. We have not reformed the corrupt campaign finance system.

Today, tens of millions of Americans have a deep hatred for the political, corporate, and media establishment. They turn to Washington and the corporate media and see rejection and contempt.

You see not only a government that ignores their needs, but politicians attending charity events with the rich who have no idea what life is for the vast majority of Americans. The absurdity of the current situation is that Trump – a con man, an establishment pillar, a billionaire and an anti-working class businessman – was able to fill this political vacuum and capitalize on this anger. Donald Trump, Champion of the Working Class. More than a pity!

Bernie Sanders is an American politician who has served as the senior U.S. Senator from Vermont since 2007. This piece is an excerpt from his book, It’s okay to be angry at capitalismpublished by Allen Lane for £22. Copyright © 2023 Bernie Sanders.