Donald Trump’s tariffs may have alienated rural America so much they vote for Democrats at the midterms next year, the Governor of Kentucky has said.
Andy Beshear, writing in The Washington Post, believes the “American Dream is dead” under the president’s watch, with the GOP split on issues such as healthcare and economics. This may push those in hardened red states to vote elsewhere in the upcoming election cycle.
Governor Beshear wrote, “Tackling affordability is not enough. To truly lead again, Democrats must be the party of aspiration. When I look at our country, what worries me is the widespread belief that the American Dream is unattainable, even dead.
“This is the same American Dream — the promise that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can get ahead — that has inspired generations and lifted America to great heights.”
“This concern transcends party lines. Families know how much their grocery and utility bills have gone up, and how unaffordable rent or the mortgage is getting. But they also know that the vacation they took as children has slipped out of reach.”
Beshear went on to say Trump has given the Democrats a “huge opening” which they must capitalise on over the next three years. He added, “Trump has given Democrats a huge opening.
“He is making it so much harder for people to even get by. During the government shutdown, he was willing to use the hunger of Americans — including children and seniors — as a bargaining chip. It was cruel and wrong, and, importantly, it backfired.”
Experts believe there is another major threat to Republican success at the midterms next year which has yet to be addressed by the party. Greg Sargent and Amanda Marcotte say Trump’s age will play a major factor in how Americans vote in 2026.
Marcotte said, “I will not be surprised if turnout is really high in the midterms. And that’s all before you even get into the fact that the elephant in the room is that Donald Trump is 79 years old, and he is not looking good these days.”
“And I think that his ability to be a strongman leader of the MAGA cults kind of depends on him looking like someone who’s going to survive for the next few years. I think there’s a bet that increasingly few people are interested in taking.”
The post Trump warned he’s isolating rural America—and it’s turning blue: ‘American Dream is dead’ appeared first on Raw Story.
