Trump and Musk ‘Perceive the Client,’ Sen. Ruben Gallego Says

• Ruben Gallego stated the 2024 election proved Trump and Musk’s understanding of working-class voters.
• “They really perceive the buyer,” the senator advised The New York Instances.
• Gallego gained his Senate seat on the identical poll the place Trump flipped Arizona again into the GOP column.

President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk have discovered a approach to join with working-class voters as a result of they’re “engaged every single day” with them, Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona stated in a latest New York Instances interview.

“They really perceive the buyer,” Gallego stated. “They’re engaged every single day, somehow, in attempting to speak to the buyer, and on this case it is the voter.”

Gallego stated the 2024 basic election outcomes “proved” the power of Trump’s attraction with the working-class voters Democrats have additionally sought to win over.

When Gallego was requested why many citizens involved in regards to the economic system seemingly had little challenge with an administration crammed with the ultrawealthy, the Arizona lawmaker stated private wealth is aspirational for a lot of voters.

“Individuals which can be working class, poor, do not essentially have a look at the ultrarich as their rivals,” he stated. “They wish to be wealthy sometime.”

He stated these voters would give Trump, Musk, and their allies the good thing about the doubt till they have been personally impacted by governmental actions.

Gallego additionally predicted that Trump would face political backlash over the GOP’s long-sought tax invoice, which might embrace $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and potential spending reductions for applications like Medicaid and the Supplemental Vitamin Help Program.

“That is when you are going to see folks saying, ‘No, no, no, that is not what I would like,'” he stated.

Gallego has solely been within the Senate for a couple of weeks, however he is no stranger to Washington. He served within the Home for a decade, representing a Democratic-heavy district anchored in Phoenix.

When Gallego jumped into his state’s Senate race, it was unclear whether or not then-Unbiased Sen. Kyrsten Sinema would additionally run. This had the potential to create a three-way race, which might have made it simpler for the GOP to win the seat. Nonetheless, Sinema finally declined a reelection bid, and Gallego confronted Republican Kari Lake, a staunch Trump political ally.

Gallego defeated Lake final November at the same time as Trump flipped Arizona pink in his victory over then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the important thing swing state.

The primary Latino to signify Arizona within the Senate, Gallego outpaced Harris with Latino voters and male voters. The lawmaker attributed his success to his work to interact with voters all over the place, particularly because it associated to their financial considerations.