How President Donald Trump Could Support Working Class Voters

President Donald Trump increased his support among voters without a college degree from around 50% in 2020 to 56% in 2024, with more than 50 million working class people voting for Donald Trump in 2024. Those voters were decisive in his election victory. While many people say that Trump is the President for millionaires and billionaires, I believe he could revamp the American economy to rebalance it between the markets and labor. This change might be disconcerting to some on Wall Street, but it is long overdue. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

“I’m proud to be the President for the workers, not the outsourcers—the President who stands up for Main Street, not Wall Street,” Trump declared while announcing tariffs. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent echoed this sentiment, saying, “It’s Main Street’s turn—to hire, to invest, and to restore the American Dream.”   

The message is resonating with working people and changing political alignment in this country.     The United Auto Workers endorsed Kamala Harris, but its President Shawn Fain posted this on March 27: “We are ecstatic to see an administration finally address the unfair trade laws in this country. These laws have destroyed the American working class. They’ve destroyed communities in this country, in virtually every state, for decades.”

For too long, free trade orthodoxy across both political parties failed to account for the human cost of imports—specifically, the loss of good jobs. But those affected were watching and waiting for someone to address their concerns.

As someone who has long believed that economic growth since the 1980s has too often come at the expense of workers, I recognize the urgency of addressing deindustrialization and working-class stagnation. Decades of neoliberalism have produced communities in despair, disconnected from prosperity and too often ignored by our most powerful institutions. Only radical action can change this reality.  

When I founded the Council for Inclusive Capitalism in 2019, after meetings in the Vatican with Pope Francis, our mission was clear: to harness the power of markets and companies to reform capitalism for the benefit of all.  A central focus has always been the plight of the working class—those left behind by decades of globalization and capital market expansion that failed to reach broad swaths of the American population. During that time, companies such as Bank of America, and PayPal led by example—raising wages, promoting pay equity, and enhancing financial security. Forward-looking businesses such as these recognize that fair gainsharing is both a market necessity and a moral imperative for inclusive economic growth. 

While President Trump’s bold tariff agenda marks a clear departure from the status quo, tariffs alone will not revitalize the American working class. A complementary set of pro-growth, pro-worker policies is essential. I offer four recommendations for President Trump to more meaningfully demonstrate his commitment to the working people:

1. Stop Collecting Tax from the Lowest Paid Workers: Today, the United States begins to collect tax from working families starting at an annual income of only $21,900 for a head of household, even though the national poverty level for a family of four is $32,150. This makes no sense. The Trump Administration should legislate so that there is a zero federal tax rate for families who earn less than the federal poverty level. This will reduce reliance on the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit because people will keep more of what they earn. And though working families might not receive those related refunds, this policy could enhance the dignity of work, reduce dependency on government aid, and uplift millions of families.

2. Provide Workers the Skills they Need: The best way to cushion workers against the impacts of globalization and automation is by investing in education, retraining, and apprenticeships. Portable training accounts, which follow workers across jobs, would provide continuity in a dynamic economy. I urge President Trump to invest in education and skills training.

3. Give Workers an Investment Where they Work: It is time to make employee ownership more accessible to more working people. By reforming current regulatory and litigation risks around Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), the administration can unlock share ownership opportunities for workers—not only in private firms but also public companies.

4. Embrace worker-centric AI: The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report highlights opportunities in sectors such as agriculture, food processing, nursing, and software development—not just traditional manufacturing. It also emphasizes the rising demand for AI and data specialists. The White House, with Vice President JD Vance’s experience in tech, should seize this moment to build a national AI strategy that does not leave the workers behind.

Recently, more than 250 CEOs signed an open letter calling for computer science and AI to become graduation requirements nationwide across the US. They highlight research showing a single AI course raises wages 8% across all students. The letter argues universal AI could unlock $660 billion in annual economic value and notes only 12 states currently mandate the subject. It also flags that countries such as China, South Korea, and Singapore already require computer science or AI training for every student. 

These proposals offer a blueprint for restoring the American Dream. By acting swiftly and boldly, the administration—with its partners in business—can reshape our economic system to work for all members of our society who work hard to fulfill their aspirations. 

The views expressed here are those of Lynn Forester de Rothschild, not any organization.