The Left, Unlike President Donald Trump, Has Forgotten About America’s Working Class

If one thing is clear from the recent Democratic primary debates, it’s that the political Left has lost its moorings.

Listening to 20 presidential candidates across two nights of debates left one with the clear and distinct impression that this is not the Democrat Party our grandfathers and fathers knew about. These are not defenders of America’s working or middle class. They are certainly not defenders of America’s borders and laws. They are not even defenders of the American economic system.

Despite record homeless populations in our major cities and veterans crying out for help, all 10 presidential candidates during the Thursday night debate announced their support, when asked about it, for providing taxpayer-funded health care benefits to illegal immigrants.

They also promoted tax increases on working families, government programs as far as the eye can see, and more government intervention in our health care. Some candidates even proclaimed the belief that the government should outlaw private insurance companies.

One candidate on the stage at least demonstrated an optical understanding of reality, in my view. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) understands how many parts of the industrial Midwest have been laid to waste over the past three decades as vibrant towns and manufacturing centers have closed their shops and moved to Mexico and China. He has represented working-class neighborhoods in Ohio that have been abandoned by Democrats and torn apart by the policies promoted by the likes of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

Pervasive regulation and an uncooperative business tax code have hollowed out America’s base of manufacturing.

American companies simply cannot compete with their foreign competition. That’s because industries abroad not only operate in a less restrictive business environment; they’re also able to dump their cheaply produced products in U.S. markets.

Simply, the game is rigged against the American working class, as jobs and opportunities are shipped overseas.

And yet, no Democrat on the debate stage, not even Rep. Ryan, offered solutions that would solve the crisis at hand.

While the Democrats have abandoned their blue-collar roots, President Donald Trump certainly has not. Throughout his presidency, Trump has worked toward protecting the American worker, encouraging domestic manufacturing and fair trade while creating jobs on U.S. soil rather than overseas.

While former President Barack Obama mocked the suggestion that something could be done to promote American manufacturing jobs, Trump has staunchly defended American industries and Michigan, Ohio and other Midwestern states, which are seeing the benefits of his policies.

From lowering taxes and regulations to imposing tariffs when necessary, Trump has reignited America’s manufacturing base. America, as the president will proudly remind anyone who will listen, is in the midst of the largest growth in manufacturing jobs in three decades. If you make something in the United States, President Trump will fight for you.

In 2018, as part of his pro-American manufacturing jobs effort, the president supplied relief to America’s washing machine manufacturers by imposing safeguard tariffs designed to protect the industry from the exploitative and illegal business practices of foreign competitors. Liberal elites were quick to criticize the policy that has since saved at least 3,000 domestic manufacturing jobs and supported thousands more in other industries.

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Seeking to undercut the president’s growing support among the working class, the Left cited a hackneyed report, which relied on unreliable data, unreliable and biased sources, and faulty assumptions. Nevertheless, the results speak for themselves: As the ITC predicted, fairness, competition, and innovation are on pace to increase, as are the number of American manufacturing jobs, and the president has made clear that his priority is defending American workers.

Most recently, in May 2019, Trump again stepped up to the plate to fight for the working class, this time going to bat for the automobile industry in this country. Citing potential national security threats, the president announced his intent to pursue negotiations to address the concerns arising from the extensive imports of foreign cars and auto parts.

In addition to helping to restore the nation’s auto industry to its former glory, this move will continue to bear dividends for American workers, creating jobs and increasing the wages and opportunities for blue-collar citizens throughout the country.

Related: Manufacturers See Two Years of Record-Breaking Optimism

President Trump and the Republicans are stepping up where Democrats have backed down: They’re putting America first. Liberals are so concerned with pandering to the extremists, radicals, and communists within their own ranks that they’ve neglected the very groups of people their party was founded upon.

Indeed, leftists are so busy promising extensive free benefits to illegal immigrants that they haven’t noticed they are undermining the communities that they purport to represent.

Democrats may have forgotten about America’s working class — but luckily for the country, President Trump certainly hasn’t.

Bryan Crabtree is the author of the new book, “The Trump In You: Acting Like Trump Is Actually A Good Thing.” He is also the live afternoon host on Atlanta’s Biz 1190 from 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays and again on AM 920 The Answer from 9 to 11 p.m. His real-estate show with his wife, Mackenzie Crabtree, can be heard on Saturday at 9 a.m. on AM 920 The Answer and noon Sunday on Biz 1190. His “Crabtree Chronicle” (focusing on local Atlanta issues) is heard during the day on AM 920 The Answer.

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