By Jack Parkos | United States

In light of recent events on the border, we have seen many American Democrats attack President Donald Trump. In fact, they have given him much of the blame for separation at the border. However, this policy has been law since Bill Clinton was president. When he signed it into law, there simply was not this much backlash. There was not mass anger when George Bush or Barack Obama enforced it: only when populist Trump did.

Border separation is wrong, but it is illogical to solely blame Trump. Attacks on the president are quite frequent from all sides of the aisle, but there is a particular note of interest in regards to them. Ironically, they never seem to criticize when criticism is due. The best way to look at Trump is objectively. Call out when he is good, call out when he is bad, and hope he does the right thing. But elitists often refuse to do this, and this created Trump and the anti-media populism movement.

Often times, everywhere from the media to college campuses, right populism receives negative attention. Common talking points include the notion that gun rights advocates do not care about children, and that those who want to replace Obamacare do not care about the poor. In many instances, such as these, people use strawman arguments against right populism.

In general, elitists refers to a number of groups. It references the mainstream media, first of all. In general, mainstream media shows considerable bias, thus molding the view of the people from a more elite standpoint. However, it also includes groups such as Antifa, which rarely allows those with differing viewpoints to speak peacefully. Both of these groups, ironically, allowed for Trump to rise.

When Trump came along, he was controversial. His supporters jumped on the train, while the elitists went to war with him. The media called him Fascist and called his supporters neo-nazis. Hillary Clinton even called his supporters deplorable. Whether a fan of Trump or not, it’s clear the coverage was biased. In fact, CNN spent 93% of their Trump-related news coverage in early 2017 on the Russia scandal. Though this is an important issue to cover, many others, such as the Obamacare replacement bill, were not given sufficient coverage because of this.

Does this mean the media shouldn’t ever criticize the president? Obviously not. A free press is key in a major society. But, if the media is going to be so extreme, it shouldn’t be so shocked with the result. Actions have reactions. In this case, elitist media bias created populist backlash. When the government and media appear corrupt, the people will stand against them.

Elitists, in this sense, created their own worst enemy. Though Trump’s lack of professionalism at times is not excusable, it also does not take away from the fact that elitism is what brought the man into office. Populism was due to rise, and Trump is merely the figurehead of the broader movement.

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