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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.

The Plan for November—and After / Start Making Sense
byThe Nation Magazine

How are we going to defeat Trump and the Republicans and win control of Congress in the midterms? How are we going to win the White House in two years? Ben Wikler has a plan – he’s published a book with the title This is the Plan. Ben was chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin for six years, ending in 2025, where he shaped what became the most powerful and effective state political party in the country.

Plus: John Nichols on the Senate Candidates in Maine and Nebraska, and the governor’s race in Wisconsin. John of course is executive editor of The Nation.

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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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