One Reason For Trump's Success With Rural Voters

Donald Trump understood the concerns that many Americans have about their economic future.  He located an enemy and told them that he would destroy the enemy and "Make America Great Again".  This article argues that Trump does not have a solution that will work for most of the voters who believe in him,  but he at least understands their problem.  They want to earn a paycheck; they do not want a welfare check.  Hillary Clinton, and most Democrats, believe that free trade is good for everyone because it increases national GDP.  They fail to recognize that workers live in smaller geographic areas that are dependent upon regional GDP.  They are not as mobile as the shifts that take place in the economy.  That is especially true in small town America where the loss of a major employer threatens the workers with poverty.  The labor force is much less flexible the basic assumption in trade theory.  Lower skilled workers will not easily move to areas that will provide them with higher skilled jobs as the economy moves in the direction of higher value added production.  The voters in those areas overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump because he told them what they wanted to hear.  The Democratic Party does not promise these workers jobs.  It focuses on longer term solutions such as education, job training, and temporary income from government programs.  The Republican Party is not much different.  That is why Donald Trump won the GOP primary election as well as the general election.  He attacked free trade and he offered protection from foreign terrorists.  It was a winning message in an election campaign.