Donald Trump isn’t just leading in the polls—he’s leading the narrative. And both parties are failing to meet the moment.
I sat down with Carlos Álvarez—UPS worker, organizer, and U.S. Senate candidate from California—for a wide-ranging conversation about why Trump’s rise exposes the rot in our system, and what it would take to build something real for working people.
We talked about:
• Why Trump’s rhetoric lands—and how Democrats keep playing into it
• How ballot access, media gatekeeping, and campaign finance rules stack the deck
• What scares elites more than Trump: a movement they can’t control
• The difference between symbolism and power—and why Carlos refuses to drop out
• How we build a political project rooted in organizing, not personality
Carlos is running from the bottom up—not to be a spoiler, but to expose the spoiled system. This was one of the most grounded, strategic conversations I’ve had in a while.
