Is Trump the savior for US working class?

In January, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. Despite his unpredictability so far, his performance in governing might be a bit easier to speculate on. And for his voters who are eager to see him delivering on his promises, disappointment may be in store.

Riding the high tide of populism to victory, Trump tapped into the anger and resentment of a growing number of disfranchised American white working class. When US manufacturing enjoyed comparative advantage worldwide, trade deals good for American business were also good for American workers. But increasingly outsourcing and off-shoring have allowed transnational capital to move freely around the globe in search of better returns. The promised better and higher paying jobs as a result of globalization and trade liberalization do pop up, but they rarely trickle down to the millions of blue-collar workers in the US' Rust Belt states. The annual American Values Survey of 4,500 Americans finds that nearly half of them no longer believe in the American Dream.

In comes the self-appointed "greatest jobs president", promising a sweeping shake-up to revitalize US manufacturing, create new jobs, rebuild infrastructure and change domestic regulations. In keeping with these inward-looking objectives, Trump has also promised to renegotiate trade and alliance deals and tighten border control. Which explains why many of those people voted Trump on election day.