In an opinion piece published on Saturday, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof urged liberals to refrain from “demeaning” Trump supporters and instead engage with them respectfully.
Kristof referred to a recent speech by former President Bill Clinton at the Democratic National Convention, where Clinton cautioned Democrats to remain focused and not let the “election slip away.” Clinton also emphasized the importance of being mindful of how they talk about voters who don’t share their liberal views.
“I urge you to meet people where they are,” Clinton said at the DNC. “I urge you not to demean them, but not to pretend you don’t disagree with them if you do. Treat them with respect — just the way you’d like them to treat you.”
Kristof supported Clinton’s message, pointing out that since 2016, “the liberal impulse has been to demonize anyone at all sympathetic to Donald Trump as a racist and bigot.” He argued that this approach is counterproductive, as it is challenging to win over voters who feel insulted or marginalized.
“By all means denounce Trump, but don’t stereotype and belittle the nearly half of Americans who have sided with him,” Kristof wrote.
Kristof also highlighted the Democratic Party’s struggles with appealing to working-class Americans, suggesting that many feel “betrayed” by the party. He noted that the party has increasingly aligned itself with academics and college-educated voters, which can sometimes come off as condescending to working-class and religious communities.
He further criticized the party’s focus on racial and gender identity issues over economic class disadvantages. “You can’t have a serious conversation about inequality today without discussing race. But you also can’t have a serious conversation about poverty or opportunity without considering class,” he observed.