Related to my expressed disgust for elites, I actually think The People are better than elites give them credit for, as they are quite often projecting their own bigotry and general contempt for other people onto "the white working class" or "suburban moms" or whoever happens to be convenient at the moment.
Lots of people are assholes, but also lots of people have a healthy level of disgust against obvious injustices, and rarely require more than a slight nudge, if that, from respected leaders to get there. The people who went to fancy schools and run the country don't just think that they're the intellectual betters, but the moral ones too. Basically, "if I hate immigrants, then Bubba must REALLY hate immigrants," and, well, no, not necessarily.