China and Russia didn’t force the Supreme Court to corrupt the political system with Citizens United or force politicians to spend all day taking bribes. They didn’t cause the widening gap between wealthy and poor in America. They’re not the ones gaslighting Americans into thinking they don’t deserve healthcare. Xi Jinping isn’t the one allowing data brokers to buy and sell bulk geolocation data to anyone that wants it. Vladimir Putin isn’t the one allowing private equity to strangle businesses across America. Erdogan isn’t the one saddling young people with student debt and causing home prices to rise.

The people who have lost trust in the ability of the American economic/political system to care about them, maybe foreign autocrats lit the match but the kindling was already there.