I agree, Trump is a symptom
However, I find it amazing that people still think Trump (of all people) is some sort of messiah. None of his main agenda items (like building the wall, repealing the ACA, revitalizing America’s manufacturing sector, ending America’s needless foreign wars etc) came to pass. He remains what he always was to me, just an orange con-man
Trump became successful in politics initially because he was talking about things that no one else was talking about, and those issues were very real...until Trump came along, for example, the Democrat & Republican position re: trade was basically identical, i.e. we’ll just do whatever the rich guys tell us to do. It’s been that way with both parties since NAFTA at least. The problem (rich corrupt assholes screwing us) won’t be solved by just another rich corrupt asshole screwing us though
I despise the same people Trump and his contingent despise, the meritocratic elite who live in gated communities and affluent suburbs and look down their noses w/ patronizing contempt at the working class & poor who have suffered nothing but deprivation over the last several decades. The party that used to at least pretend to care (Democrats) has been completely captured by corporate money. These are issues that are very real and disturbing IMO, and can’t be completely waved away as the product of bigotry and ignorance. It’s these types of conditions in which lying demagogues flourish