I think what we've seen in America is a working class revolt with mainly white voters rallying against the establishment. These people are the same type of "left behind" voters in forgotten deindustrialised towns and cities who voted Brexit in Britain. They've simply had enough of the same old politicians promising change and not delivering. In Donald Trump, they saw a man who was offering change and the chance to "make America great again", rather like Nigel Farage and other politicians advocating Brexit.
The pattern that emerges is that these people want a chance of hope and change. Take the last two US Elections, Obama painted himself as a change candidate who could unite America as the first black president, while Trump and those advocating Brexit have attempted to deliver similar pledges. This was a lot harder for Clinton and those politicians campaigning for Remain in the EU referendum, as they were trying to sell the status quo to people (more of the same) which sounds a lot less attractive, not helped by the fact they were very much 'establishment' politicians. The reality is that the old economic consensus is now defunct and mainstream politicians on the centre-left and centre-right need to deliver a coherent message to these angry voters to try and win them back. Until something is done about this disconnect, we will continue to see the rise of populist right politicians such as Trump in America, Farage in Britain and Le Pen in France.
So in the context of this, I totally understand the alienation that people feel which has prompted them to vote for Brexit or Trump. However, this is where my own and these voters' paths cross. The reality is Trump is no "man of the people" or change candidate for that matter. Take the fact that Trump has a background as a property billionaire, the type of person who contributed towards the financial crash of 2008 which has hit the very same people he purports to represent very hard financially. He has also earnt mega bucks and not paid certain taxes for decades, while he also favours cutting the top rate of tax for the richest in society. I also fear his 'protectionist' trade policies could also hit the American economy. So I fear that people voting for Trump in the hope of change may very well end up disappointed.
But I guess we have to accept that a majority of American people have voted for Trump to be president, so whether we like it or not, Britain has to respect this decision and try and work with Trump. They remain a crucial trading and political ally to us. On a slightly happier tone to end my post, I seriously doubt that Trump's most ridiculous policies will ever see light of day. Legislation still needs to pass through the Senate and House of Reps, full of Republicans that are weary of him.
