rant · moment 15 of 16
Uber Drivers, Working-Class Trump Support, and the Ugliness of Populism
from The October Surprise · #14
Audio-only archive episode — no video to seek.
5 minTim discusses conversations with Uber drivers who like Trump, arguing that working-class people feel abandoned by elites, while acknowledging the populism is often ugly and under-educated, tying it to NAFTA and economic decline.
- 51:28Tim describes meeting an Uber driver who liked Trump and explains how working-class people outside major institutions respond to him differently.
- 52:21Working-class Trump supporters tell racist jokes that they find funny, which Tim distinguishes from structural oppression.
- 52:52A significant part of the electorate feels ignored and disenfranchised by political and entertainment elites, and they're not all Klan members.
- 53:14Tim notes people blame immigrants for economic decline over 40 years but rarely ask the real questions about structural forces.
- 53:36NAFTA is a predatory agreement that benefits first-world countries at the expense of third-world markets and American workers.
- 53:51Politicians exploit economically frustrated people through populism, preying on those who lack what their parents had.
- 54:13Tim argues politicians have always used these tactics, citing Hillary Clinton's use of imagery designed to evoke specific responses.
- 54:36Trump differs by attacking opponents directly on Twitter at two in the morning instead of using traditional paid-for TV ads.
- 55:06Both Trump and Hillary Clinton use empty platitudes, but Trump is unique as a reality star proficient in how media and social media work.
NAFTADonald TrumpHillary ClintonCNNMSNBCGeorge W. BushGeorge H. W. BushRonald Reagan