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Why Does Trump Still Have 44 Percent of Voters? Why Is Hillbilly Elegy Still Number One?

On this episode of Start Making Sense, Marc Cooper analyzes the GOP today, and Becca Rothfield examines J.D. Vance’s memoir.

Jon Wiener

August 21, 2024

Former US president and 2024 presidential nominee Donald Trump greets US Senator and vice presidential nominee JD Vance.(Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images)

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Why does Trump still have 44% of voters? Why is ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ Still Number One? | Start Making Sense
byThe Nation Magazine

As the Democrats meet to celebrate Kamala, Trump seems disoriented and unsure what to do next. Nevertheless he’s holding on to 44% of the electorate. How come? Marc Cooper has our analysis.

Also: Kamala may be rising in the polls, but the Number One nonfiction bestseller in America is still “Hillbilly Elegy” by J.D. Vance. Luckily for us, Becca Rothfeld has read it, so we don’t have to. She’s nonfiction book critic for the Washington Post.

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As the Democrats meet to celebrate Kamala, Trump seems disoriented and unsure what to do next. Nevertheless he’s holding on to 44 percent of the electorate. How come? Marc Cooper has our analysis.

Also: Kamala Harris may be rising in the polls, but the number-one nonfiction bestseller in America is still Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance. Luckily for us, Becca Rothfeld has read it, so we don’t have to. She’s nonfiction book critic for The Washington Post.

The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

This Time it will be Harder for Trump to Challenge the Election, plus Talking to Trumpers | Start Making Sense
byThe Nation Magazine

Trump has made it clear he won't accept the results of the 2024 election if he loses, and Republicans are doing everything they can make it harder for Democrats to vote. But it will be harder for Trump to challenge this year's election, because of changes in the law–that's what Rick Hasen says. He's professor of law at UCLA, and his writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Slate and The New York Times.

Also: Trump supporters in Appalachia: Arlie Hochschild has spent years talking with them about how they understand their lives, and how Donald Trump helps overcome their shame. Her new book is “Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right.”

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Jon WienerTwitterJon Wiener is a contributing editor of The Nation and co-author (with Mike Davis) of Set the Night on Fire: L.A. in the Sixties.


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