Description
Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders owed much of their unexpected popularity within the 2016 primaries to their respective stances on trade and immigration policy.
Political elites and policy experts were bewildered by combative talk of building a wall and the ubiquity of anti-TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) sloganeering in what many saw as a atypical election cycle. They have got scrambled to give an explanation for both Trump’s victory and the new political fault lines that have emerged in both major political parties, in large part around trade and immigration.
In struggling industrial towns and cities, the upward thrust of Trump and Sanders used to be less of a surprise. These places have long weathered globalization’s storm. Many feel left in the back of and sold short. They’re anxious, and they are demanding answers.
Galesburg, Illinois, is one such city.