And, number two, I’ll tell you this: Trumpism is not just an American phenomenon. All over Europe, they are seeing the growth of right-wing parties, and the collapse of center-left parties. And I think working people throughout Europe, throughout the United States, are looking at their governments and asking: Do you know that we exist? Do you understand the pain that we are experiencing?
To my mind, it’s not only a question of whether Democrats have to address the enormous economic pain that working families are now experiencing—and their concerns, as they look to the future, that AI may take their jobs, that their kids are likely to have a lower standard of living than they do. It’s not only that we have to deal with those economic issues to help address the pain and anxiety that people are feeling. It’s that if we do not address that pain and anxiety, I worry about the future of democracy. I think people will say: Trump failed us. We gave Democrats an opportunity. Now, they failed us. What we really need is a strong man who will get things right. That’s the history of fascism around the world.