Donald Trump may own some of the nation’s most chichi country clubs – they don’t let just anybody in the Mar-a-Lago! – but his base of political support comes from clubs of a different sort. Ten years after two writers took to these pages to urge Republicans to appeal to people at Sam’s Club rather than the country club, the boisterous billionaire is doing just that.
Consider the results of an ABC News/Washington Post poll released Wednesday. Trump, the poll found, “continues to rely on less-educated adults for his support – among all adults, a 22-point [approval] gap between those who have and have not earned college degrees; and among Republicans, an even wider 46-point . . gap.” That is to say, among Republicans with college degrees, Trump’s favorable/unfavorable numbers are 46-48. Among Republicans without college degrees, 71 percent have a favorable opinion of Trump versus 27 percent who don’t.
More education, of course, is strongly correlated with higher earnings: It’s safe to infer from that poll that Trump’s base is primarily downscale. Trump may not end up as the next president, but now that Macy’s has kicked his branded ties to the curb, I know where he should start selling them.
