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During his 2016 presidential campaign, former President Donald Trump famously said, “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters.” Seven years later, we’re about to find out how strong his infallibility amongst his base might be.

Last Tuesday, Trump was indicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records. While certainly unprecedented, it is hard to believe that this will be the last straw for Trump supporters in this nation. In fact, according to YouGov and Ipsos polls conducted after his indictment, Trump’s lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for the 2024 Republican nomination increased.

How could this be? What exactly could inspire more people to vote for a potential convict?

When Donald Trump ran for president, he spoke to a class of workers in Washington, D.C, who saw the effects of neoliberal offshoring firsthand. The former reality television personality made a promise to “drain the swamp,” which meant to rid the district of so-called crooked politicians. To those who felt left behind by the Democratic party, Trump and Republicans became an enticing — and louder — option.

Even as his policies of slowing job offshoring and protectionism failed to benefit the working class, the President held his base. Trump positioned himself to be viewed as a martyr for the working class, even though none of his experiences align with that base as a man born into privilege. His supporters saw him as someone who called out what many would diagnose as corruption in the ruling class, so any attempt to call out Trump could be perceived as an attempt to silence him and “the truth.”

While Trump’s nomination in 2016 legitimized the presence of populism in the Republican party, the ideology gained momentum with the Tea Party during the 2010 midterms. Fellow Republicans that share Trump’s style of rhetoric and views, like Senators Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, have long since adopted Trump’s specific brand of economic populism and tough-on-immigration policies.

In theory, the criminal accusations against the former president should burst his working class champion perception, but it’s not that simple. Even though charges involving huge sums of money, such as his, can come across as elitist, Trump has already garnered such a following that would focus less on his crimes and more on “the system.” The attitude becomes comparative, with Trump supporters asking “what has Trump done that Democrats have not done?”

Even if convicted, the charges against Trump would not barr him from running for president again. By no means should Democrats rely on Trump’s conviction as a way to take the wind out of his sails. In fact, his conviction may only rile his base up more.

After Trump lost the 2020 election, his claims of election fraud fueled the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. The former President has already vehemently denied the allegations of his criminal charges, calling it an “insult to our country”. Before he was arrested, Trump called for a demonstration in New York if, and when, he was indicted, showing his still present influence.

If an attempted insurrection, two impeachments and numerous lies have not shaken Trump’s support, it is doubtful that his indictment will. This is an issue because the rhetoric and demeanor he displayed from the land’s highest office is damaging to the American people at large. Democrats must offer alternative solutions to the economic problems Trump’s base faces in order to destroy his impact. Policies like Biden bringing back manufacturing jobs are a step in the right direction, but not nearly enough.

Democrats once were the party of Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, champions of the blue collar working class. Since the Clinton administration, the Democratic party has shifted its base to a population of urban-suburban white collar workers. If Democrats want to seem more appealing to the working class block of Trump voters, it is in their best interest to sponsor legislation that returns power to them.

This kind of pivot should not be difficult for Democrats.The working class make up the majority of this nation, and right now they sympathize with Trump, whose policies allowed the top 1% to add $5.3 trillion to its wealth. It will not be the arrest of Donald Trump that ends Trumpism, but rather an evolved Democratic party.

Jish Sokolsky is a freshman ​​Broadcast and Digital Journalism major. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at jasokols@g.syr.edu.

Published on April 9, 2023 at 11:05 pm