Quite the opposite! Democracy is working in America, whereas it’s in jeopardy in (some parts of) Europe. You’re confusing “democracy” with “liberalism.” Democracy is not about free trade, or protecting immigrants, or the like. It’s about people being able to vote to live in the kind of society they want. If people want to pull back on liberalism in certain areas that’s democratic. What’s undemocratic is saying that “you can vote for anything you want as long as it’s liberalism.”

There’s a reaction throughout the entire west to free trade and immigration. In America, a plurality of voters supported the guy who promised mass deportations and tariffs, and now they’re getting exactly what they voted for. Maybe they won’t like the results, maybe they’ll be thrilled with them. The results will simply inform the next vote. What’s deeply broken are european systems that are trying to maintain liberalism at the expense of democracy.

But not all the european countries. Denmark and Sweden have retrenched on liberalism in the area of immigration—Denmark’s youngest generation is now more Danish than the population as a whole—and have largely solved the political polarization over the issue. That’s democracy working very well.