Trump anti-trade rhetoric draws in new supporters

Donald Trump's views and rhetoric on trade may bis apparently becoming a concern to Democrats, according to a Washington Post article this morning:

Trump’s anti-trade rhetoric rattles the campaign message of Clinton and unions

Of the many ways Trump, the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee, has scrambled the 2016 campaign, it is his position on trade that has presented one of the most unexpected challenges for his rival, Hillary Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee. In an election season animated by economic anxiety, Trump, a New York business mogul, bucked Republican orthodoxy and powerful business interests such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in an appeal to blue-collar Republicans that helped propel him t o victory in the GOP primaries.

Clinton, who scrambled to move left on trade during her tough primary fight against Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, now finds herself again facing attacks on the issue — this time from Trump. He used his Pittsburgh-area speech to disparage her association with a pair of major trade agreements — one negotiated by President Bill Clinton’s administration and the other by President Obama’s while she served as secretary of state.

For Hillary Clinton, the risk is not necessarily losing support directly to Trump but rather not inspiring enough enthusiasm among rank-and-file union workers, whose turnout and ground-level organizing have traditionally been crucial for Democrats.

The polls consistently show his rival, Hillary Clinton, with a modest but steady lead. By appealing to many in her base, Trump could cut into her lead, although it remains to be seen if it will be enough to offset traditionally pro-trade Republicans who might defect to Clinton or a third-party candidate.