Over the past eight years, more and more working-class communities of color have shifted toward the Republican Party, meanwhile wealthier, more educated cities and towns have stayed with the Democrats. And what makes this so infuriating and such a hard pill to swallow is that Donald Trump lied to working people.
He looked servers in the eye and told them they wouldn’t have to pay taxes on their tips. He told hourly workers that overtime pay wouldn’t be taxed. He said he’d protect Social Security checks from taxation.
Now here we are and the “big, beautiful bill” doesn’t include a single one of those things. Nothing for the waitress working a double shift. Nothing for the guy clocking sixty hours a week in the warehouse. Nothing for the retired couple living on a fixed income.
He lied about the one thing working families can’t afford to be lied to about..their paychecks.
There’s no line item for workers tips. No relief for hourly employees working overtime. No break for retirees on a tight budget.
He promised working people a raise. What he gave them was the same old tax scam, the one where the rich get richer, and everyone else is told to be patient.
So what is in Trump’s “big, beautiful bill”? More tax breaks for billionaires. More loopholes for big corporations. More perks for people who already have more than they need.
Still counting out your tips at the end of a long shift? You’re paying taxes. Still working overtime to cover rent and bills? You’re paying taxes. Still stretching your Social Security check? You’re paying taxes.
But do you own a private jet? There’s a deduction for that. If your company offshores jobs? There’s a break for that too.
It’s not a bill for working people. It’s a welfare for the ultra-wealthy.
The truth is if you’re looking for actual policies that helped working-class families in recent years, you won’t find them in the Republican tax plan.
You’ll find them in legislation passed by Democrats.
Like the expanded Child Tax Credit that was in the American Rescue Plan. Democrats passed it with zero Republican votes. It lifted millions of kids out of poverty and helped families cover groceries, rent, and school supplies.
Like the Inflation Reduction Act. It capped insulin prices for seniors, lowered health care premiums, and made billion-dollar corporations start paying something closer to their fair share.
Like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Roads, bridges, internet access, union jobs (all signed into law by Joe Biden.)
Like the Protecting the Right to Organize Act. House Democrats passed this to strengthen unions and give workers more power.
These were real bills and real laws with real benefits for real people.
We can be honest with ourselves, no party gets it all right. But if you’re working class, if you’re living paycheck to paycheck or raising kids or just trying to get ahead, Democrats have been the only ones actually passing laws that help you.
This isn’t “woke” stuff. This is money in your pocket and a little more room to breathe.
We are living through one of the biggest cons in our political history. Trump didn’t just lie, he used working people. He looked them in the eye and said, “I see you. I’ll fight for you.” Then he turned around and handed the whole thing over to billionaires. That’s not populism. That’s betrayal.
Regular, hard working people deserve better than a scammer.
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