Lieutenant Governor of California Eleni Kounalakis in interview with TA NEA: «Trump’s policies are driving Americans deeper into poverty»

Political polarization successful the US is astatine utmost levels and is profoundly concerning, but astatine the aforesaid clip it has not reached a constituent of nary return, says Lieutenant Governor of California Eleni Kounalakis successful her interrogation with “TA NEA“. The Greek-American person believes that the US tin flooded divisions, but it needs enactment from some parties. At the aforesaid time, Kounalakis talks astir the consequences of Donald Trump’s policies, astir however her state, California, which is disproportionately affected, is experiencing the effects, and warns that they will thrust galore Americans deeper into poverty.

The levels of polarization successful the United States person agelong been astatine an all-time high, with the confrontation betwixt progressives and conservatives described arsenic a “Cold Civil War”. Do you think it could people a caller epoch for the US from which there is small accidental of return? And what risks bash you see?

Yes, it’s true that political polarization successful the U.S. is astatine utmost levels, and it’s profoundly concerning. At the aforesaid time, I don’t judge we’ve reached a constituent of nary return. The US has faced superior divisions before, and we’ve ever recovered ways to de-escalate divisions and travel together. We request to refocus the nationalist statement astir uncovering solutions alternatively of conscionable arguing with 1 another. Of course, we request enactment from some parties to bash this, and it’s successful abbreviated supply.

The killing of Charlie Kirk was described by galore arsenic a dynamite successful a pulverization keg. What consequences bash you spot and what worries you the most?

The killing of Charlie Kirk was reprehensible, tragic and a unsafe act. Again, we person seen governmental violence successful the US escalating, and we indispensable person enactment connected some sides to acceptable a antithetic tone. Just past June, a antiauthoritarian subordinate of the Minnesota Statev Legislature was murdered on with her husband, and two others were shot. I’m profoundly acrophobic that events similar this spark adjacent much anger, fearfulness and potentially, much violence. Our effect matters conscionable arsenic overmuch arsenic the enactment itself. American ideology depends connected our quality to respond rationally, and with a committedness to the regularisation of law.

How bash you acquisition yourself the existent situation successful the US? We spot wide arrests of migrants (recently of South Koreans successful a Georgia factory), we spot the nationalist defender deployed successful Washington, successful San Francisco, successful Memphis.

As a statewide authoritative present successful California, I tin study that our state is disproportionately experiencing the antagonistic impacts of Donald Trump’s policies. Twenty-seven percent of the colonisation of our state is foreign-born. At slightest 8 percent of our workforce is undocumented. Mass arrests and the cruel harassment of immigrants is mounting a tone of fearfulness and resentment and is earnestly harming our families and our economy. The Trump Administration’s heavy cuts to healthcare and nutrient stamps are besides profoundly concerning. I was a U.S. Ambassador to Hungary, and it is funny to maine that they are ignoring 1 of the astir almighty things Victor Oban did when helium was elected. Orban dramatically chopped owe rates and vigor rates that immediately, and significantly, enactment wealth backmost into people’s pockets. This administration’s trade wars and cuts to κοινωνικά programs are driving up prices, taking distant healthcare and food, and needed services, and will astir surely thrust galore Americans deeper into poverty. We are besides experiencing a nationwide onslaught connected academia and institutions of higher learning. California has 32 campuses that marque up the University of California and California State University systems, with implicit 850,000 students. The UC system is the largest and astir important probe University successful the world. These systems are almighty generators of economical maturation and κοινωνικά mobility and connected a idiosyncratic level, I person been working overtime to assistance find solutions to support them.

Do you spot a important diminution successful wide ideology successful the United States?

Democracy successful the United States is not collapsing, but it is being tested possibly much than immoderate clip successful our history. Voting rights, trust successful institutions, and respect for authorities norms are each under unit close now. The bully quality is that ideology is resilient when radical attraction capable to support it. If citizens rise their voices, clasp enactment accountable, and support antiauthoritarian institutions, we will get done this.

Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, it seems that the Republicans are mobilizing to up the ante successful the predetermination game. How tin the Democrats propulsion backmost and strengthen their power?

Democrats – including myself – request to stay focused connected the basics: ensuring radical person bully jobs, affordable healthcare, safe neighbourhoods, and a just accidental astatine opportunity. That’s what families attraction astir astatine the extremity of the day. But it’s not conscionable astir policies. It’s besides astir presence. It’s astir showing up, listening, and reminding radical that their voices matter, particularly when so galore consciousness near retired of the process. When we stay rooted successful our values and link them to people’s mundane lives, that’s however we push backmost against division and physique the benignant of enactment that tin win.