Donald Trump shocked the world in 2016 when he was elected U.S. president, winning swing states in America’s Rust Belt, including Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, that have traditionally backed Democrats.
Much the same story played out in November. The country’s former industrial heartland overwhelmingly voted for Trump and his promised to “make America great again.” According to exit polls, a majority of working-class people in key states — those who did not attend college and earn between $30,000 and $99,999 per year — backed Trump. That was true of white, Latino and Black voters.
This trend is not confined to the United States. In June, 57% of workers voted for the far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National) in the first round of the French parliamentary election. And in September, 50% of workers supported the populist Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) in the country’s general election, while the Alternative for Germany (AfD) won 46% of workers’ votes in the Brandenburg state election.
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