Julian Epstein says 'everyone' is moving away from the Democratic Party except 'professional elites'
Democratic strategist offers blistering assessment of party’s election performance
Democratic strategist Julian Epstein discusses the Republican Party’s gains with working-class voters on ‘The Brian Kilmeade Show.’
A Democratic strategist argued President-elect Trump’s decisive victory in the 2024 presidential election was a "Marie Antoinette" moment for his party and showed just how "out of touch" Democrats have become with working-class voters.
Julian Epstein, the former chief counsel to Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee, told "The Brian Kilmeade Show" Monday that working-class voters were uniting across racial lines to "reject not just the Democratic Party, but the entire professional elite."
"It was the Democrats, it was billions of dollars, it was the mainstream news media, it was Hollywood, it was Wall Street and Silicon Valley, it was the universities. It was sort of every mainstream professional elite that had become the left," Epstein said.
Election officials and voters stand near an electronic ballot booth in Fairdale High School November 3, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
He added that one of the biggest examples of how "out of touch" Democrats had become was the electric vehicle (EV) mandate and its impact on the auto industry and working-class Americans’ jobs.
"You look at the auto number, you look at the losses in the auto industry because of the EV mandates, and it's extraordinary," he told "One Nation" host Brian Kilmeade.
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Fox News Voter Analysis found Trump making gains with Black and Hispanic voters. Trump’s strongest support came from White evangelicals, rural voters, Whites without a college degree, conservatives and men.
Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to speak during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center on November 06, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
NBC News national political correspondent Steve Kornacki broke down the Republican Party’s gains with working-class voters, highlighting Trump’s gains with those under 30 and those earning $50,000 or less annually.
Pre-Trump, voters under 30 were going for Democrats by 23 points, and those with an income of $50,000 or less were going for Democrats by 22 points.
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The 2024 election found voters under 30 going for Democrats by 11 points, and those with an income of $50,000 or less shifted to Republicans by 3 points.
Supporters take photos as Fox News projects Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump is elected president during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida on November 6, 2024. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Epstein said Republicans have "stolen" Democrats’ "real estate." "They've gone in and they have channeled the anxieties of working-class voters on jobs, on trade, on automation, on crime, on opioids, on having an intelligent and balanced energy policy," he said.
"Democrats would be much better to look at what the Republicans did, which is to channel, understand the concerns and anxieties of working-class voters and try and work on building something rather than tearing down."
"Everyone is moving away from the Democratic Party other than professional elites and particularly professional female elites, white female elites," he continued. "Other than that, the Democrat coalition is imploding because they have not listened to the voters."
Ashley Carnahan is a writer at Fox News Digital.
