Trump’s billionaire-blue collar coalition has been smashed by class politics | Aditya Chakrabortty

The article argues that Donald Trump’s alliance between wealthy technology figures and working-class voters has fractured as the cost of living and economic inequality have taken centre stage. It says voters rejected the president’s politics in Tuesday’s elections, while Democrats’ focus on everyday costs helped make class divisions more visible.

The piece points to high petrol and food prices, rising rents and low pay as pressures on households. It says the richest 400 US households pay lower tax rates than the bottom half, and workers’ share of national income has fallen from 30% in the 1960s to 20% today. It also cites an estimate that AI infrastructure spending accounted for 92% of US GDP growth in the first half of 2025, with gains concentrated among a small group of investors and companies.