From Medium: Trade Hurt a Lot of Americans. Now We’re Seeing the Consequences.

By Scott Paul
May 31 2016 |
Consequences like this guy. | Photo by Gage Skidmore

Trump is the anger candidate — and he’s appealing to some very real anger.

Donald Trump is now the presumed Republican presidential nominee, and there continues to be a lot of talk about how he got there and why he appeals so much to voters.

Over on Medium, AAM's own Scott Paul explains one reason why Trump has succeeded: Trade.

To hear him tell it, Trump thinks America’s recent history of trade deals have been terrible giveaways of our jobs and national wealth; that we’ve been hoodwinked, exploited, and stolen from. It’s a part of his larger appeal to our national nostalgia, the one that suggests Trump will Make America Great Again.

He hasn’t shared how he’ll do that more than promising to go about it belligerently.

Trump, the anger candidate, is appealing to a portion of the American electorate that is already distrustful of free trade — at least as it has been practiced so far. And while he’s using the issue to win an election and offering only painfully simple solutions, there are real problems caused by trade to address.

Head over to Medium to read the full piece

This isn't the first time Scott has argued these points, of course. He explained the connection between trade and the presidential election back in March, when there were a lot more candidates in the election. Although the video is now about three months old, the points made are still relevant heading into the general election.