Many posts have discussed economic and educational inequality. The effects of inequality reach many corners of American life.
Dan Merica and Matthew Choi at WP:
One data point in our colleague Gaya Gupta’s write-up of recent findings by the Census Bureau stuck out to us: While most Americans’ household income remained steady or fell because of inflation last year, the wealthiest 10 percent of households saw their incomes rise.
That simple finding — which could easily be boiled down to the aphorism “the rich get richer, the poor get poorer” — explains so much about our populist politics at this moment, from the left gravitating to a strident anti-rich rhetoric and politicians who authentically understand their economic plight to the right embracing President Donald Trump and his simple political message that the system is rigged against most Americans.
It also explains why the cost of living and prices have been the most determinative issues in our politics in recent elections. That was true in 2024, when voters regularly ranked the economy as their most important issue, and the economy remains top of mind now. A study by the Pew Research Center in December found that only 30 percent of Americans are satisfied with their pay, particularly because it has not kept up with rising prices.
“It is reconstituting the types of political coalitions that can be made and changing what sort of policies and actions those voters want,” said Alyssa Cass, a longtime Democratic operative. “Candidates who are tapping into that are the ones who are succeeding most prominently and beating expectations.”
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“Trump is the ultimate disrupter. And many people see him at the tip of the spear against the status quo,” said Jesse Hunt, another longtime Republican operative who has worked in committees and on campaigns. “That is really what he has done since he came down the escalator in 2015. And that gives him a deep connection with a lot of people who don’t feel like their concerns were heard or they were cared about.”
Hunt also argued that social media — and the way in which people let their friends and colleagues into their lives now — has exacerbated this divide. Before social media, people may have felt pressure to keep up economically with their immediate friends and neighbors primarily through word of mouth, Hunt noted. But when all people have to do is log on to a platform to see how those people are living, they receive broader, more in-depth insight into whether they are getting ahead or falling behind.