What Donald Trump can teach the Democrats

Trump has revealed that economic liberalism is alive and well in the GOP. It's time for Democrats to take advantage.

Donald Trump
(Image credit: Illustrated | Image courtesy AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

I regret to concede this, but we have to start taking Donald Trump seriously.

And not just because the blowhard and real estate mogul turned GOP presidential candidate appears to be a serious contender, both within the Republican primary and the general election. But because — thanks to Trump's remarkably cavalier disdain for right-wing economic orthodoxy — voices on the liberal-left side of the spectrum are starting to have (highly qualified) nice things to say about him. "Trump happens to be right" on the economic issues, Paul Krugman declared at The New York Times, while Jonathan Chait and Sen. Elizabeth Warren praised Trump's willingness to hike taxes on the wealthy. Even ThinkProgress, my alma mater, has gotten in on the act.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Jeff Spross

Jeff Spross was the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He was previously a reporter at ThinkProgress.