I have been puzzled for years as to why there has been such limited support for protectionism within the Democratic Party, given the impact of globalization on the incomes of the party’s working class constituents during the last two decades. Thanks to Donald Trump, I think I now have the answer: a disproportionate number of the beneficiaries of protectionist policies would be white men working in manufacturing who, for a variety of reasons, have become Republicans.
Never fear, free traders: the WSJ and the other ideological enforcers within the GOP are never going to permit the leadership of the party to embrace protectionism. That said, we may have a very interesting discussion on the subject during the debates over the next several months.