Trump Has Been Bad for Trumpism

Interesting column in WaPo: Trump has shifted the country to the left — or at least away from his own views

I think it's fair to say that insofar as Trump has a policy platform, it is one of economic nationalism. He's against free trade agreements and against open immigration policy. Yet, despite four years of a Trump presidency, public support for these policies have continued their steady decline. For example, the % who believe immigration is a "good thing" for the country has crept up from 72% in 2016, to 77% now. The highest Gallup has ever recorded since it started asking this question in 2000. For the first time since the 1960s, the percentage of Americans who want increased immigration exceeds the percentage that want decreased immigration. In 1994, 63% of Americans saw immigrants as a burden, now it's 24%. Similarly, free trade agreements are now supported by 62% of Americans, versus 52% in 2009.

The trends outlined here are not flukes; they demonstrate a steady trend across multiple pollsters.

What could be happening here? I think one obvious theory is clearly that anyone who doesn't like Trump would also reflexively dislike his policies by proxy. But his actions don't seem to energize the population in his direction (in which case it would all be a wash), and it also does not explain the long-term trends already at play before he stepped on the national political stage.

I'm surprised by this data, and don't have a good answer. It's possible that Trump is a uniquely bad advocate for his preferred policies and has instead driven the country away from his vision. The trend was already there for sure, but some polls indicate it to have accelerated because of Trump. If you're a proponent of economic nationalism and wanted a do-over, what would you have done differently to convince others to get on board?