While President Donald Trump has been focused on living out his fantasy of cosplaying “The Great Gatsby,” the political tide has pulled away from his Florida beach and has begun the process of turning into a blue wave. 

Democrats swept the conservatives across the country last week, taking decisive victories in New York City, New Jersey, Virginia and other states. What is worse for the prospects of Trump and his party is that he did not just lose in blue states, but all the gains they had made in the last presidential election had all but been deleted. 

According to The Wall Street Journal, voters in New Jersey suburbs, who swung farthest to the right in 2024 than they had in years, reverted in last week’s election, with a sharper contrast in suburbs than the statewide average.

In fact, Trump has lost support across the board among all groups that helped push him over the finish line for the presidency. Among 18- to 29-year-olds, Trump’s job approval rating is down a net 46 points in October compared to his January numbers, per an Economist/YouGov poll. That demographic decline for Trump is the most, followed by Black voters at 43 points, followed by Hispanic voters (37) and those making less than $50 thousand a year (24).

Trump swept the swing states and declared a mandate in 2024, and he enjoyed a political honeymoon thought impossible. What happened?

Suffice it to say, Trump’s supporters feel let down, if demographic declines are any indication. Trump ran on a populist platform of “making America great again.” He “worked” at McDonald’s and drove a garbage truck. Then he got into office and dropped the act.

The quickness with which Trump forgot his platform and base will be a topic for the history books. His promise to release the files associated with the arrest and death of Jeffrey Epstein was denied and forgotten. His beloved tariffs have increased prices for Americans without any of the promised benefits. And his promises to end the conflicts between Israel and Hamas, and Russia and Ukraine, have not materialized, despite him spending almost all his actual working time on foreign issues. So much for America first. 

It is important to clarify his working time since Trump’s true passions so far appear to be receiving lavish gifts, throwing parties and constructing his ballroom. These expensive examples of Trump’s solipsism should serve as a warning to Republicans in Congress to drop the cartoonish overtures, such as trying to put Trump’s face on currency or on Mount Rushmore.

It is, however, serving to turn voters off the classic Republican sales pitch for capitalism, which for years was based on the Ronald Reagan theory of trickle-down economics. It has been repurposed and renamed over the years, but the concept has always remained the same — if businesses are given advantageous conditions, such as low taxes, they will reinvest that money into things such as higher compensation for workers and an increase in jobs.

But just like how a rubber band can only stretch so far before it breaks, the pandering to massive corporations seems to be reaching its apex. Instead of more and better labor conditions, thousands of young, college-educated workers have been laid off by the advent of AI, one of Trump’s favorite enterprises. 

Considering all of this, is it any wonder that New Yorkers just elected a socialist as mayor? New York mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, promised New Yorker’s rent freezes to address the rising cost of housing. Donald Trump promised legalized usury in the form of a 50-year mortgage. Which one do you think people rally behind?

The microscope will be on Mamdani when he takes office in January. If his ridiculous policies do not collapse the city before the midterms, Democrats will follow New York’s lead, and Republicans can expect massive losses. Trump needs to forget the ballroom and instead take the wrecking ball to domestic issues.

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