The Post decided to call Trump a white nationalist. Actually, sadly, they didn't use those exact words, opting for "white identity politics."
The second half of the piece argues that this might be successful for him in 2020. After all, the argument goes, it worked in 2016. Certainly, if Democrats track too hard to the left on their own identity politics, it might. Julian Castro earned raves from the left for advocating for - basically - open borders. That's a terrible idea. If Democrats put their economic agenda front and center, it could be a rout, but that might be why Trump has and will continue to launch these racist attacks. They work to remind a certain subset of voters that Democrats are for a multicultural America and Republicans are for a white nationalist America.
The question is not about the "I'm not a racist, but..." Whites Without College sitting in some fucking diner in the Rust Belt. The question is about the suburbs. Yes, talking about economic issues could win back some of those Obama/Trump voters. Certainly, talking about corruption will persuade them. But the racism will cut against the GOP in suburban areas among whites with college degrees.
It would be foolish to declare that 2020 is in the bag, but Trump has not grown his share of the electorate ANY since 2016, and he needed Hillary Clinton to make that win happen. She's not around.
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