By SJ Otto
When Donald Trump ran for president, a lot of people claimed he was the candidate of the working class. This was said by a lot of his supporters and many of them actually are working class people. To those of us one the left, who have studied Marxism and the various “working class” related theories, calling Trump “working class” seemed absurd. For one thing he is a $billionaire. He has never been poor enough that he needed an actual working class job. He never worked in a factory. He never worked as a fast food person. He was born into money and he has had plenty of it his whole life.
According to MATTHEW CHOI, writing for PoliticoTrump’s attitude towards working people:
“This really does have a higher purpose than next week’s pay,” Trump said during a news conference…..
…….. When asked whether there would be any safety net for federal employees who don’t get paid because of the shutdown, Trump said: “Well, the safety net is going to be having a strong border because we’re going to be safe.”
And in a different article in Politico:
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump told Democrats on Friday that he was willing to extend the shutdown for “months or even years” to get the funding he wanted, an account Trump confirmed during the news conference.
The president said a resolution could come soon, though, and he added that he believes federal employees are fine with the shutdown continuing.
“I think if you ever really looked at those people,” Trump said, “I think they would say, ‘Mr. President, keep going.’”
His words speak volumes for those who believe he stands for working class people. He has no idea how hard these weeks without pay can be. People lose a lot from being denied their pay. Many of these people have had to barrow money just to survive. Much of the damage is irreversible. Some of these people have sold their prized possessions to survive this. And if most or all of these people were to quit these government jobs, the effects on society would be catastrophic. Trump has no clue as to what it is like to be without an income. He has never experienced what it is like to be working class.
Many working class people can identify with his crude, shoot from the hip remarks. I constantly hear working class people say “he talks the way I do.” Maybe he does. But that only proves he can regurgitate vulgar unrefined speech. He is vulgar and unrefined. Just because he can speak like the working class doesn’t mean he understands what it is like to be working class. He is a $billionaire. He has never had the problems of a working class person and his attitudes toward those who work prove that well.
Those who believe he is a working class hero need to learn to distinguish between a vulgar oaf and a person who seriously knows what working class people go through to survive. Working class people would be better served to look into the career of such people as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She actually knows what working class people need to survive here in this country. She can better serve working class people. Trump hasn’t a clue!?
Any working class person who identifies with Trump is seriously misguided. And that is a major problem with this country today—working class people who just don’t have a clue. Ignorance is a dangerous thing in today’s world.
