As Trump Drifts Away From Populism, His Supporters Grow Watchful
“Mr. Trump did not have a monopoly on populist appeal last year. His analog on the left was Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who ran a Wall Street-bashing campaign for the Democratic nomination. While the two share a loathing for free-trade agreements and support for expansive spending on new roads and bridges, Mr. Sanders said the opening months have shown Mr. Trump to be a ‘right-wing extremist,’ not a populist.
‘You’re not a populist if you want to, as he did in his health care bill, raise premiums for low-income senior citizens,’ Mr. Sanders said in an interview. ‘You’re not a populist when you want to throw 24 million people off health care. You’re not a populist when you want to do away with nutrition programs for pregnant women and children.’”