Pew has just released a study confirming what many of us already suspected: the rich are poised to get richer in the new administration, and the poor are going to struggle even more.
That’s what Americans believe will happen, anyway — even those who presumably voted for Trump.
“Nearly two-thirds of Americans (64%) say wealthy people will gain influence in Washington when Trump takes office. Just 8% say they will lose influence, while 27% expect the wealthy will not be affected.
In addition, about half of the public thinks whites (51%), men (51%) and conservative Christians (52%) will gain influence.”
Both Republicans and Democrats actually agree on some of these ideas — like that conservative white Christians are on the ascendant. (It’s about time we got the GOP and the Dems to agree on something, even if it’s just that children, women, and minorities are up a creek without a paddle.)
Forty percent of those surveyed say that they expect to lose influence personally when Trump takes office, and only 27% said they expect to gain something — the lowest in the last four administrations. And, predictably, that does break down neatly along partisan lines: just under half of Republicans think they will gain something personally in the new regime, while two-thirds of Democrats are bracing themselves to lose ground.
You can read a summary of Pew’s report here.