'Made their lives more difficult': Nicolle Wallace guest reveals why Trump is 'vulnerable'



Despite having majorities in both chambers of Congress and having more than three years left in his second term, President Donald Trump has never been more "politically vulnerable," according to one analyst.

On Wednesday, MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace interviewed New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, who argued in his latest essay that Trump's policies are having a direct impact on his base, which is slowly growing more resentful. Kristof pointed out that he lives in a small Oregon town that voted for Trump by a two-to-one margin, and that he's hearing firsthand from Trump supporters that his pattern of corrupt behavior and recent actions have left a bad taste in the mouths of even his most loyal backers.

"A lot of the issues the Democrats have talked about just seem kind of distant. But what does matter? Well, for example, one friend of mine, they're in a pro-Trump household, but the woman recently tried to sign up for Social Security, and she has had immense difficulty doing so. Pesumably partly because Trump pushed 7,000 Social Security staff out, even at a time when staffing was at a 50-year low," Kristof said.

READ MORE: 'Everyone is afraid to tell him': Trump brutally mocked following 'meltdown' with reporter

Wallace responded that one "upshot" of the "disruptions and extra-long waits for assistance as [Social Security recipients] wait on hold for hours" could be that callers may "think about how Trump and [Elon] Musk have made their lives more difficult." Kristof went on to say that the Trump administration's "impositions on daily life" are starting to impact MAGA on a visceral level, like the Republican budget bill's cuts to Medicaid, "hit voters in a very personal way." He opined that if this pattern continues, it could even turn deep-red Trump strongholds into battlegrounds.

"We're not going to change every MAGA voter. But if one can reduce the number by 5% or 10%, and especially in places like Wisconsin, Ohio, et cetera, boy, that makes a difference," he said. "And I think that is coming."

According to Kristof, even countries with authoritarian leaders — like Hungary — are seeing their leaders bleed popularity due to "banal issues" like grocery prices and healthcare and retirement security. And he added that Trump's "corruption issues" could prove to be what pushes MAGA over the edge in upcoming election cycles.

"So I think that maybe particularly at a time when it's harder for voters to establish what is true and what isn't, then these economic factors have special weight, and I hope Democrats will really pounce on them," he said. "And on the corruption issues ... I mean, Trump was elected in part on these accusations of this swamp. And of course, he is verifiably creating more of a swamp than ever."

READ MORE: Deep-red Trump-loving Missouri town 'tested' as a 'beloved local' is detained

Watch the segment below, or by clicking this link.

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from Alternet.org https://ift.tt/XrWQNYa
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