Who's Your Elitist?

We need to have a nuanced convo about the notion of the so-called liberal elite

“It really is groupthink masquerading as independent though. And it’s not just on the fringes of society … .”

~ Mina Kimes

Earning a college degree, working a job, owning a home and buying a car (especially if said automobile is financed) while simultaneously not hanging on or agreeing with every single word that falls out of Donald Trump’s mouth plus having the audacity to think that racism or other forms of bigotry should not be considered a respectable “alternate” point of view does not automatically thrust a person into the ranks of the so called “liberal elite”. In fact, according to some researchers, homeowners in the United States tend to associate with the Republican Party. Moreover, being working class in America is not the same as being poor. In fact, a significant portion of working class people in the U.S. identify as middle to upper middle class regarding their family’s financial situation. Therefore, labelling everyone holding down a degree, a job, a house, a car or any combination thereof as an elitist becomes oxymoronic (emphasis on the moronic). Why? MAGA itself is an actual elitist movement. In fact, if we listen closely to Trump loyalists on Capitol Hill or at Fox News we find that they envision turning the U.S. into MAGA Land; a place where Trump, a mighty king and consummate statesman, rules with wisdom and compassion. MAGA Land represents a thriving kingdom in which all its people, the MAGA-Landians, live together harmoniously in peace and prosperity. Furthermore, if the rest of us simply stop resisting and insisting on engaging in divisive hyperbole and lawfare, Trump can remake our “failing nation” into the best version of MAGA Land. MAGA Land is, of course, a fictional place that only exists in the imaginations of the MAGA-Landians – i.e. real life Trump loyalists – because neither is Trump any of that nor could he ever build or lead anything like that. All this points to the fact that liberals and progressives should stop allowing themselves to be labelled as elitist. It bears discussing. So, let’s take it to the head, straight, no chase, Baby!

Working Class vs. College-Educated People

In sociological terms, working class, especially in the American context, refers to people without a college degree. The term has nothing to do with the type or lack of employment opportunity in which a person may engage or experience. Moreover, the term “working class” does not refer to household income or any other metric of individual wealth. With less than 40% of adults in the United States holding a college degree, most Americans of voting age are among the working class. In fact, less than half of all jobs in the United States requires a bachelor's degree. Many working class Americans identify themselves as “middle class” or “upper middle class”. Further, 51% of homeowners in the United States associate with the Republican Party (i.e. the GOP). So, why do liberals and progressives get labelled as elitist?

The reason behind labelling people whose political views lean left of center as elitist seems to have more to do with the desire of the wealthiest Americans to cast blame on someone other than themselves for the perceived lack of opportunity facing people living in rural parts of the country. According to the United States Census Bureau, “[u]rban areas make up only 3 percent of the entire land area of the country but are home to more than 80 percent of the population”. While people living in Rural America remain behind people living in America’s urban centers regarding educational attainment, approximately 50% of workers in Rural America have a “good job” – i.e. defined by the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University (CEW) as “one that pays a minimum of approximately $43,000 to workers ages 25 – 44, a minimum of approximately $55,000 to workers ages 45 – 64, and a median of approximately $82,000 for all jobs (in 2022 dollars).” Which means the notion that Americans living in rural areas, who voted for Trump by wide margins in 2024, are not really “left behind” economically. In fact, CEW reports that approximately 53% of white males living in Rural America have a good job, making rural communities the only places in the country wherein more than 50% of any single demographic holds a good job.

Employers have long used educational attainment as an excuse to exclude certain workers from ascending in the corporate ranks. So, pointing to people living in America’s urban centers, which include more people who identify as black or Latino, as taking away opportunities from “real Americans” – i.e. primarily white-hetero-Christians – through unfair employment policies like affirmative action and DEI, becomes an easy sell to people seemingly cut off from significant investments in infrastructure and health care plus lifestyle amenities. The sleight of hand played by the socio-economic elites leading the MAGA movement, who themselves live mostly in urban areas, has always been through the idea of trickle-down economics. In other words, MAGA elites like Elon Musk convince MAGA-Landians to give the wealthiest Americans control of the government so that they can lower or eliminate their own taxes in exchange for them putting an end to the affirmative action and DEI programs standing in the way of real Americans claiming their natural birthright, the American Dream, which belongs to real Americans and no one else.

The lie goes: “If it were not for those unqualified people from the inner cities getting admitted to the best colleges through affirmative action then getting hired because of DEI programs, you could have everything they have but that you really deserve.” The trick is very subtle and leads to Trump loyalists incredulously regarding every black person as unqualified for whatever position they may hold, decrying even the duly elected mayor of Baltimore as the “DEI mayor”. It becomes frustrating to the point of infuriating to be black and educated and experienced yet questioned as if you did not earn your professional bona fides on your own merit. Can you imagine being appointed to lead an organization as its chief executive officer and be subject to less experienced co-workers questioning your decisions or over-analyzing your operational vision because they believe there is a chance you are not qualified to occupy a position they themselves may lack the experience or, even, the talent to hold? Equally as frustrating becomes the fact that if Trump loyalists like Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, Dana White and Kevin O’Leary wanted to, they could level the economic playing field for the MAGA base at any time they so desired. They simply do not care to do so. As Bryant Gumbel said, “Trickle-down Economics, in my humble opinion, has long been little more, at best, a fantasy, at worst, a lie told to poor people.”

Why MAGA Is an Elitist Movement

By way of definition, to be an elitist means to promote or support the idea that society should be led by an elite – i.e. someone considered to be superior in terms of ability or attributes when compared to the rest of the members of a society – or group of elites that form a ruling class. A nuance exists here that should be further explored. Being elitist does not necessarily require a person to actively participate in demeaning others. Being an elitist simply requires a person to view themselves or people like them as being superior in some form or fashion. For example, Lamar Jackson being regarded as the most valuable player (MVP) in the NFL does relegate all other NFL players to a state of inferiority. In fact, many athletes playing the same position as Lamar Jackson are widely considered to be elite quarterbacks, like Josh Allen and Joe Burrow. Recognizing Jackson’s superior performance does not demean the skills or efforts of other players across the league. Solely awarding the NFL MVP to so called dual-threat quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen would make the award an elitist designation.

That said, with Trump loyalists, including GOP lawmakers, musing the idea that Trump should be a dictator for a day or, even, the first king of the United States, what modern American political movement fits the definition of elitist more than MAGA? MAGA declares loudly and proudly Donald John Trump, a billionaire born in New York City to an affluent family, as their clear and undisputed leader. Trump, for his part, describes himself in terms that would be considered elite regarding his business acumen and intelligence. Propping the world’s wealthiest person onto a pedestal as one of their central figures only solidifies the elitist attributes of the MAGA movement. To be fair, members of Congress from both the Democratic and Republican parties have a median net worth of $1 million. Still, Democrats are not required to swear their unwavering fealty and demonstrate their unflinching loyalty to a central figure, especially not a notorious elitist like Donald Trump.

Liberals and Progressives Should Push Back against the Elitist Label

Regardless of how real their grievances may seem, the truth remains that MAGA is an elitist movement.

Liberal and progressive elitists absolutely exist. Keeping in mind, however, that being an elitist has nothing to do with education or income, liberals and progressives are far less likely to promote or suggest the idea that the United States be led by an elite. While more millionaires voted for Kamala Harris than Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, 74% of Republicans said they would be “fine for Trump to be a dictator” for one day. In the same article for The Hill, Lauren Irwin further reported that in the survey conducted by the University of Massachusetts, only 13% of Democrats thought Trump should fulfill his campaign promise to be a dictator for one day. Liberals simply do not promote a leader who belongs to some class of elites. By contrast, being sufficiently loyal to Donald Trump forms the defining characteristic of the MAGA movement.

To this point, it bears stating that the elitist accusation grenades lobbed in the direction of liberals, progressives and independents by MAGA-Landians may seem reasonable, given the prevailing perceptions of life in Rural America and the stereotypes cast onto small-town-Americans, but should be regarded as highly hypocritical. Other than disparities in educational attainment or household income, what reasonable grievances can Trump loyalists legitimately hold against liberals, progressives or, even, independents? Not only are the perceived income disparities between Rural America and Urban America a little more than hyperbole, but the real life disparity in homeownership favors the side of the Trump loyalists. Small towns in America are not small because the people living there have been denied their “fair share” by nefarious intentions or actions, small towns are small because of the population size. Industry and investment generally follow population growth, which generally equates to revenue growth. In simple terms, businesses want to be where the people are. American small towns and rural communities offer some of the best opportunities to disconnect from the common challenges presented by this thing we call life but lack the of exciting lifestyle options sought after by the emerging younger generations, which is also why people living in rural communities tend to be older. People move out of small towns and do not return; so, these communities do not grow in either population or tax base. And there is nothing wrong with that.

By Way of Conclusion

Americans collectively hold enough wealth to eradicate food insecurity and homelessness for every American citizen. And we should absolutely do that. Doing so will not make the United States any less capitalist. The American Dream does not exist without income, and most of us do not expect to achieve the American Dream without earning some type of income – i.e. following through on the notion of doing something to “make a living”. Moreover, it is safe to say that most Americans do not blame someone else or much less an entire group of people when we do not arrive at the place we want to be in life. In addition to breaking so many of our long-standing socio-political norms, MAGA-Landians seem to be exempt from this notion. Even historically marginalized American communities face more pushback than Trump loyalists for expressing grievances regarding their economic, political or social status. Trump loyalists lay their grievances at the feet of Black Americans, immigrants, members of the LGBTQ+ community and whoever else their billionaire leader tells them is stealing their birthright.

Regardless of how real their grievances may seem, the truth remains that MAGA is an elitist movement. Working class does not necessarily mean poor. Corporations do not refuse to invest in small towns and Rural America because of economic policies promoted by liberals or progressives. College is not for everyone. In fact, people engaged in a trades profession earn slightly higher incomes on average and typically carry less debt. Military service is an honorable and rewarding career path. Trump’s own grandparents were immigrants. In fact, both Elon Musk and Melanie Trump are immigrants. Donald Trump is anything but elite; nonetheless, that simple fact that does not stop him from claiming that he is or MAGA-Landians believing that to be true and demanding the rest of us start believing it, too.