Title page of an academic article titled “Plutopopulism: Wealth and Trump’s Financial Base.” Authors listed are Sean Kates (University of Pennsylvania), Eric Manning (Princeton University), Tali Mendelberg (Princeton University), and Omar Wasow (University of California, Berkeley). The abstract below the title states: Comparative scholarship suggests authoritarian candidates often rely on backing from the wealthy. The wealthy are also said to play an important role in American campaign finance. Studies of Donald Trump, however, found that he drew significant support from white Americans with less education and privilege. We evaluate wealthy and non-wealthy Americans’ financial support for Trump, compared to other candidates, by constructing a comprehensive dataset of property values matched to contributions and voter files. We find Trump underperformed among wealthy Republican donors while mobilizing new non-wealthy donors. Trump also diversified the donorate, especially by education. That is, Trump built an unusual coalition of wealthy and non-wealthy donors. Our results support an alternative, “plutopopulist” model of Trump’s financial base. This study demonstrates the importance of studying both non-wealthy and wealthy Americans, the group who give the most but whose individual behavior has been studied the least. Open access link to paper: http://cup.org/4cfm0Az

Research from “Plutopopulism: Wealth and Trump’s Financial Base” by Sean Kates, Eric Manning, @talimendelberg.bsky.social and me.

Open access link to paper: cup.org/4cfm0Az

Opinion | I’m an Immunologist. I Grew Up Unvaccinated.

I’m an Immunologist. I Grew Up Unvaccinated. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/o...

Opinion | The Finance Industry Is a Grift. Let’s Start Treating It That Way.

The Finance Industry Is a Grift. Let’s Start Treating It That Way. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/o...

What <em class="small">ICE</em> Should Have Learned from the Fugitive Slave Act

Plutopopulism: Wealth and Trump’s Financial Base | American Political Science Review | Cambridge Core - www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Opinion | We’re Seeing the Weakness of a Strong State

We’re Seeing the Weakness of a Strong State www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/o...

GOP candidate Chris Madel is dropping out of the Minnesota’s governor’s race… “United States citizens, particularly those of color, live in fear. United States citizens are carrying papers to prove their citizenship,” he said. “That’s wrong.”

Many people assume disaster prevention policies lack public support. We find broad and meaningful support for such policies. Our article with Marty Gilens and Nicholas Short is just out at Journal of Politics. www.journals.uchicago.edu/eprint/MSHBR...

Congratulations @tanikar.bsky.social!

We Found More Than 40 Cases of Immigration Agents Using Banned Chokeholds and Other Moves That Can Cut Off Breathing Civilians have had apparent seizures. One had his eyes roll back. Another had ribs broken. “I felt like I was going to pass out and die,” said a 16-year-old citizen put in a chokehold. The government ...

www.propublica.org/article/vide...

Canada is taking Minnesota. It’s settled. YouTube video by Tod Maffin

youtube.com/shorts/1jPn8...

Excellent analysis

The guy who famously crosses every border in one night without documentation?

The book is real! To celebrate, I will give out five copies to interested early career folks. DM if you’d like one.

Rural Versus Urban: The Growing Divide That Threatens Democracy My interview with Cornell Professor Suzanne Mettler and Johns Hopkins Fellow Trevor Brown on their new book on America's growing rural-urban split

Enjoyed discussing rural politics & the place-based divide w/ @mikealbertus.bsky.social! open.substack.com/pub/michaela...

New from me (with @talimendelberg.bsky.social): are concerns about 'neighborhood context' real? (spoiler: yes, very much) Do people prefer traditional/brick buildings? (spoiler: no). And does changing style to "fit" boost support? (spoiler: only a tiny bit). doi.org/10.1177/1078....

Opinion | The Boomers Are Protesting Trump. Where Is Gen Z?

The Boomers Are Protesting Trump. Where Is Gen Z? www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/o...

Excellent article on an important topic
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Applications due October 20th.

Migrants and Machine Politics How poor migrants shape city politics during urbanization

Delighted this book won the APSA South Asia Frankle Prize, and proud it’s published in our Princeton Behavior Series! Migrants and Machine Politics | Princeton University Press press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...

Happy to see our article published! "Race, Voice, and Authority in Discussion Groups" with @elizabethelder.bsky.social, @profkarpo.bsky.social,and David Ribar

https://puwebp.princeton.edu/AcadHire/apply/index.xhtml;jsessionid=2OEppk7LukLedBLTNM5r0N7lJWQ_iWSupk4IpPe1joOyRCOgRQkw!-1632854922

puwebp.princeton.edu/AcadHire/app...

pleased to have had the opportunity to collaborate on this!

please apply to our Princeton CSDP fellowships! Due *October 20th*

Post-Doctoral Associate:
puwebp.princeton.edu/AcadHire/app...

Visiting Scholar:
www.princeton.edu/acad-positio...

Research Record: Increasing Voter Turnout Among College-Aged Students | Princeton School of Public and International Affairs Princeton SPIA’s Research Record series highlights the vast scholarly achievements of our faculty members, whose expertise extends beyond the classroom and into everyday life.If you’d like your work c...

Princeton's SPIA highlights the work of Professor Tali Mendelberg @talimendelberg.bsky.social and Claire Willeck looking at college age voter participation.

spia.princeton.edu/news/researc...

Imagine if they’d had sandwiches. 🥪

My article with Claire Willeck about how colleges can help students turn out to vote just published in @polbehavior.bsky.social nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...

Nearly half of Trump’s 2020 campaign money came from non-wealthy donors, yet GOP’s Big Beautiful Bill cuts health benefits for ~11.8 million while preserving tax breaks for the rich.

Question now: Can Trump’s “plutopopulist” coalition hold? cup.org/4cfm0Az

Grok, what is crony capitalism?

I'm just glad one of these men has the nuclear codes and the other has all our personal data.