Trump’s Platform isn’t Populism, it is Class War

Throughout Donald Trump’s tumultuous campaign for President, he told massive crowds at each campaign stop that he would work for those who the political insiders in Washington DC had forgotten. While Democrats were trying to convince people that “America Was Already Great”, Trump successfully tapped into the anger and despair that millionss are genuinely feeling in rural America. He repeatedly said that he would “Drain the Swamp” of Washington insiders and rebuild communities across the country, which gave his supporters the impression that people just like them would be running the government.

This strategy of fake populism proved successful against a candidate who thought that it would be a good idea to take a page out of the Romney 47% playbook and call millions of people “Deplorables”. Of course, this message was not solely why Trump won, as white fragility, racism, and xenophobia played huge roles. Many of his supporters do support his promises of mass deportation and the giant border wall, and we must do everything we can to combat white supremacy.

We are only two months into the Trump presidency, and many of those who voted for him now realize what we have known the whole time: Trump is not a populist, but an egotistical liar who said whatever it took to get elected, much like the corrupt politicians he claimed to be opposing.

The agenda of the 45th President is not to help the working class or the “forgotten Americans”, but to benefit the 1% and the major corporations who continue to flood our elections at ever increasing rates.

Let’s begin with healthcare. For the past eight years, Republicans have tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), successfully politicizing the law by coining the term “Obamacare”. Their labeling was so effective that many Americans don’t even realize that these are two names for the same program. Overturning the ACA was a major campaign promise, and a few weeks ago, the American Health Care Act (AHCA) was introduced as a replacement of a program which has a record number of applicants for 2017.

This bill was the very definition of class war. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) headed by Trump appointees, estimated that 24 million Americans would lose their health coverage by 2026, with 14 million losing their coverage within the next two years. Even worse, Trumpcare would drastically increase the premiums for millions of Americans, especially the poor and elderly.

If this so-called healthcare bill planned to raise premiums and reduce the accessibility of affordable healthcare for millions of people, then who exactly would benefit?

Look no further than the elimination of two Medicare taxes which only fall on the highest earners, giving a $7 million tax break to the 400 richest families.

Meanwhile, the loss of the ACA’s premium tax credit would mean that 7 million low to middle income families will face a tax increase.

The ACHA might have been defeated, but many conservatives in the Freedom Caucus opposed the bill not because their constituents were at risk of losing their access to healthcare, but because they felt the bill didn’t go far enough in dismantling the ACA.

If this isn’t enough proof for you that the multi-billionaire is waging a war against the 99%, take a look at his “America First” budget, which is by far the most extreme budget that has ever been proposed by a sitting President, all while Trump and his family spend millions in taxpayer money to travel every weekend.

This proposal will cut services across the board, while completely eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the Legal Services Corporation. The New York Times put these draconian measures into perspective:

Even though many rural voters across the country, left behind by de-industrialization and rampant income inequality, delivered the election to Trump, he wants to cut many of the programs that they rely on, including the low income home energy assistance program, the Appalachian Regional Commission, funding for rural airports, and grants for rural water and sewer projects. Meanwhile, cuts to food stamps, Meals on Wheels, and other social programs that millions of people depend on will hurt an entire class of Americans, whether they live in West Virginia or the South Bronx.

The only way that Trump’s plan will put America first is if you define “America” as the 400 richest people who funnel billions into our elections.

After the 2008 financial crisis, regulations were placed on Wall Street and the financial industry in an attempt to avoid another meltdown. These rules were meant to rein in the activity of ‘too big to fail’ banks which have a stranglehold over most financial activity in the United States. One of these regulations was Dodd-Frank, which was a step in the right direction but definitely still too soft on the banks, who have received no jail time for their reckless greed which crashed the US economy.

The Trump Administration is filled with Wall Street bankers, many from Goldman Sachs, and within two weeks of taking office, the 45th President and his Cabinet moved to roll back Dodd-Frank regulations. Other rules which help consumers are also on the chopping block, such as forcing investment banks to work in the interest of clients and the Durbin Amendment, which caps the fees which can be charged by retail credit card companies.

Another positive of Dodd-Frank was the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which was put in place specifically to protect consumers from the shady practices of the financial industry. Last week, the Trump Administration joined a legal challenge to the Bureau which claims that their structure is unconstitutional, while also pushing to remove the CFPB director, Richard Cordray, whose term isn’t up until 2018.

These are only a few excerpts of the class war that is being waged every day in communities across our country.

As we continue to resist in coming weeks and months, we must stay focused. Yes, this IS a war against Trump, his cabinet, the GOP-led Congress, and the austerity, racism, misogyny and xenophobia that they promote. But more importantly, this is a war against the 1% and the establishment of both parties who represent solely the interests of the moneyed class at a time when income inequality is worse than it has ever been.

We didn’t start the class war, but if we have any chance of creating an economy that works for everyone, we must fight to win.