The New York Times’s Jonathan Martin and Maggie Haberman write that President Trump’s actions as president haven’t matched his populist rhetoric — and that, as the 2020 elections grow nearer, Democrats are finding some comfort in that divergence:
“Since he became president, Mr. Trump has largely operated as a conventional Republican, cutting taxes that benefit high-end earners and companies, rolling back regulations on corporations and appointing administration officials and judges with deep roots in the conservative movement. His approach has delighted much of the political right.
“It has also relieved Democrats.
“‘Just imagine if Trump married his brand of cultural populism to economic populism,’ said Representative Brendan F. Boyle, a Democrat who represents a working-class district in Philadelphia. ‘He would be doing much better in the polls and be stronger heading into the general election.’
“It is a question many Democrats still fret over: What would Mr. Trump’s prospects for re-election look like if he pressured Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, into passing bipartisan measures to spend billions of dollars on infrastructure, lower the cost of prescription drugs and increase the minimum wage?”
