If you think Donald Trump’s “appeal,” such as it is, is based on trade agreements, I have a bridge to sell you. Any analysis or arguments based on the idea that this is what drives Trump support is simply absurd from the start.
What is Trump’s appeal? It is hatred of the Other — of PoC, hatred of women, hatred of the Other. See for example this:
Ahead of the Nov. 8 election to replace Barack Obama, the first black U.S. president, the poll also showed significant numbers of Americans in both the Republican and Democratic parties view blacks more negatively than whites, harbor anxiety about living in diverse neighborhoods and are concerned that affirmative action policies discriminate against whites. Republicans in the survey expressed these concerns to a greater degree than Democrats, with Trump supporters presenting the most critical views of blacks.
This is Trump’s appeal — we hear it from him every day.
Now I suppose some folks want to ignore this for their own reasons, but pointing to Trump as showing some path for a progressive or a Democrat is well, obscene, in my view. It is also incredibly dumb.
YMMV.