Courtesy of Mish.
In response to White Anger: Fed Helped Elect Trump; Tale of Two Job Markets, readers chimed in with pertinent comments on productivity, stagnation, and protectionism.
Reader James has free trade and jobs on his mind. James asks: How does the election affect free trade and jobs?
Let’s start there.
I responded, to James … It’s doubtful the election changed much of anything. More precisely, the election is a reflection of change that already occurred.
Q: What changed?
A: Attitudes
Changing attitudes handed the election to Trump. I talked about attitudes numerous times.
Here’s a pertinent flashback from January 31, 2016: Nate Silver’s Continual Underestimation of Donald Trump’s Chances
On January 18, I sent the article below (starting with the title Nate Silver Off the Mark on Donald Trump Nomination Odds) to the New York Times as an Op-Ed. They did not publish it. …. I just cannot accept Silver’s current assessment of Trump’s chances of winning the Republican nomination. … This is a one-on-many play, where voter attitudes have consistently sided with Trump, no matter who he offends. It’s a mistake to discount such sentiment.
Emphasis added.
People are upset. Donald Trump fed off that anger. He promised them better jobs and better deals, and more protectionism, precisely what they wanted to hear.
