Yeah, but it's not ironic. Parties are fluid organizations, not internally coherent philosophies. And even if they were, people are allowed to rethink their ideas.

I know what you are trying to say, but IMO that's practically the definition of irony.

> Economic-liberals in the US have mostly been Republicans historically.

> <...> people are allowed to rethink their ideas.

Of course people can change their minds and opinions. But that's what is ironic and funny - to completely change your long time historical behaviour.

It makes sense. Free trades hurts the poorest/uneducated/minorities who use to support Democrates because they wanted trade barriers.

As Democrates have become more global and open to free trade they lost the poor/uneducated.

The poor/rural/uneducated are not represented in hollywood. So people forget they exist. Everyone seems to run a magazine / is a doctor/lawyer/firefighter. It creates this fake viewpoint that these other people don't exist in the numbers they do.

Ah I see what OP meant now. But isn't Trump's stated goal with the trade war to obtain more free trade ultimately? My understanding is that he believes a trade war with China might force its hand into adopting more liberal trading policies. If that's correct, I wouldn't say the objective has changed so much but the approach definitely has (and it's indeed not a very popular approach among economic liberals).

Trying to figure out what "Trump" wants is an exercise in futility.

The Trump administration's stated goals are to obtain concessions for some American industries. Precisely the ones that funded his rise (Coal, Steel, Agribusinesses etc.) or where most of his ardent loyalists are employed.