Trumpism: Race, Class, Populism, and Public Policy

245 Pages·2021·1.195 MB·English

by  Carter A. Wilson

Trumpism

Trumpism
Race, Class, Populism, and
Public Policy
Carter A. Wilson
LEXINGTON BOOKS
Lanham • Boulder • New York • London
Published by Lexington Books
An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706
www .rowman .com
6 Tinworth Street, London SE11 5AL, United Kingdom
Copyright © 2021 The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any
electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems,
without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote
passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Wilson, Carter A., author.
Title: Trumpism : race, class, populism, and public policy / Carter A. Wilson.
Description: Lanham : Lexington Books, [2021] | Includes bibliographical references
and index. | Summary: “Although Trump supporters depict him as a champion of the
working class and a friend of minorities, this text demonstrates that the preponderance
of evidence indicates that Trump promoted a right-wing public policy agenda that
exacerbated inequality, benefited the economic elite, and hurt low-income white
workers and minorities”— Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021038041 (print) | LCCN 2021038042 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781793617514 (cloth) | ISBN 9781793617521 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Trump, Donald, 1946—Influence. | Populism. | United States—Social
policy—History—21st century. | United States—Economic policy—History—21st
century. | United States—Politics and government—2017-
Classification: LCC E912 .W547 2021 (print) | LCC E912 (ebook) |
DDC 973.933092—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021038041
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021038042
∞ ™ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American
National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library
Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
To my beautiful and supportive wife,
Khadijah Rasheed Wilson

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
PART I: THE POLITICAL, IDEOLOGICAL, AND
ECONOMIC CONTEXT OF TRUMPISM 1
1 Populism 3
2 Trumpism 21
3 Trump Voters 39
4 Perfect Storm 57
5 Inequality 89
PART II: SELECT DOMESTIC PUBLIC POLICIES OF THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION 107
6 Labor Policy 109
7 Healthcare Policy 125
8 Social Welfare, Education, and Tax Cuts 145
9 Voter Suppression 161
10 Trumpism: Race, Class, and Police Policy 177
Bibliography 193
Index 221
About the Author 227
vii

Acknowledgments
I greatly appreciate editing and critical comments from a number of sources,
especially from Bruce Larson, Katherine Larson, and Steve Nelson who read,
edited, and critiqued the first draft of the first few chapters and the reviewer
who read and critiqued the initial draft. The editing and critical comments
contributed to a much improved text.
ix