After the US elections: Defeat Trump with working-class struggle and socialist policies

Matt Dobson

Reactionary billionaire Donald Trump has swept back to power, winning the popular vote and the electoral college. His Republican Party now have a majority in the Senate and House of Representatives. Many youth and workers in the US and internationally will be asking how this has happened given his divisive record as President previously? 

The roots of this result are in a severe cost of living crisis presided over and worsened by the Biden/Harris corporate and pro-billionaire administration. With prices spiralling and job insecurity rampant in the context of decades-long fall of living standards for American workers and the middle class, 45% of the US population in polls said they were worse off than four years ago. Of those, 80% voted for Trump. 

There was also anger at their craven support for imperialist wars in the Ukraine and for Israel’s onslaught on Gaza and Lebanon. With tens of billions of dollars going to sustain them amidst a cost of living disaster. In key swing states youth and Arab voters refused to vote for the warmongers. 

On issue after issue facing working class families such as low wages, job losses and the cost of healthcare, Trump cynically proposed populist policies including on trade tariffs that won support. Trump portrayed himself as the outsider under attack from the establishment. 

Biden and Harris were widely seen as part of the rich establishment. Harris stated: “Washington insiders and reasonable billionaires agree, Trump is too dangerous to be president,” Yet it is precisely the billionaires and Washington insiders that are amongst the most hated groups by those struggling to survive.

In reality both the Democrats and Republicans are reactionary corporate parties. Harris was backed by 83 billionaires including big pharma. Trump of course was funded by the reactionary Elon Musk. 

In the election campaign they competed to promote reactionary policies on issues like immigration. Even where there were differences on issues like abortion, Harris was unable to convince voters to turn out enough.

She was part of an administration that failed to combat the reactionary supreme court’s ruling, other than to use it as an issue to bolster support for Democrat candidates in elections. 

Harris had no intention of linking the issue of reproductive rights to a fully publicly funded healthcare and social welfare system. Trump, as in 2016, stoked up racial tensions and anti-LGBT rhetoric but the ‘liberal’ Democrat Harris utterly failed to point a united way forward in the fight against oppression and also appeared divisive. 

Exit polls showed the main concerns of US voters were the economy and democracy. This shows the sheer scale of polarisation in US society.

Trump is the first President since the 19^th century to be re-elected after losing an election, as he did in 2020. Poll after poll shows deep discontent among all layers of the population in the US and a colossal yearning for change from a corporate dominated two party system and outdated institutions. 

The media were full of foreboding about the possibility of an outbreak of civil unrest and violence had Trump lost – the term civil war was also used regularly. This underlines the colossal instability of US society under capitalism today.

Trump is likely to go on the offensive on workers’ rights despite his courting of the unions. An onslaught on democratic rights and against oppressed groups is also likely.

The capitalist class internationally are also wary of the instability of a Trump regime who promised to end the wars immediately and is antagonistic towards Iran and China.

The majority of the US ruling class wanted a Harris victory but a section backed Trump desiring more protectionism and less regulation domestically. 

Ultimately, tariffs will not protect the jobs and conditions of American workers and repression will not deal with the concerns around immigration. A united struggle of workers and youth must be built to fight for workers’-led transition in polluting industries, and for fully publicly funded housing and healthcare with wages and benefits that meet the cost of living. Only these types of measures can undermine right wing populism. 

Mass protests need to be built against the Trump administrations pro-capitalist agenda. The trade unions have a critical role to play in this. Unions have never been more popular and are seen positively by the vast majority in US society. The recent strike wave with dockers, car workers and machinists at Boeing winning wage increases show the way forward. 

Unions and the workers’ movement will have to lead protests and strikes to challenge Trump and the bosses. Self defence against right wing vigilantism who try and attacks workers and youth must also be led by workers’ organisations.

The unions must lead a break from the corporate two party system. Independent, pro-working class candidates are needed immediately. 

That’s why the sister party of Socialist Party Scotland, the Independent Socialist Group, backed Jill Stein and other left independents.

A new mass party of the working class based on the trade unions is essential. As is a fight for socialism, taking over the major corporations under working class control and planning the economy for the needs of the majority.