David Leonhardt

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@DLeonhardt

Senior writer, N.Y. Times. Author, "Ours Was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream." Best book of the year, Atlantic, FT & TNR. Now in paperback.

Washington, DC penguinrandomhouse.com/books/217260/o… Joined July 2010

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David Leonhardt @DLeonhardt Aug 22, 2023

I consider this chart to be the clearest indictment of our country’s path over the last several decades: In 1980, the U.S. had a typical life expectancy for an affluent country. Today, the U.S. has the lowest life expectancy of any affluent country:

David Leonhardt @DLeonhardt Mar 3, 2025

For anyone thinking about immigration policy, I recommend this year-old piece by Michael Kazin: "How the GOP’s Hard Line Will Make America More Pro-Immigrant, Not Less." newrepublic.com/article/178780…

David Leonhardt @DLeonhardt Feb 24, 2025

The numbers matter too. The two countries that border Denmark — Germany and Sweden — each have a foreign-born population of 20%, not 12%.

Germany and Sweden have weak center lefts and strong far rights. Denmark has a center-left government and a hobbled far right.

Charles Kenny @charlesjkenny Feb 24, 2025

"Today [2024] 12.6% of the population is foreign-born, up from 10.5% [in 2019] when [center-left] Frederiksen took office."

That's ~0.4% of total population increase in the migrant stock *each year.*

A sign, perhaps, that what matters is to get the rhetoric right?
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David Leonhardt @DLeonhardt Feb 24, 2025

Indeed. The UK Labour Party won last year partly by criticizing the Tories for being too lax on immigration.

Paul Ashworth @FCVMacro Feb 24, 2025

@DLeonhardt Also, the UK went left.
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David Leonhardt @DLeonhardt Feb 24, 2025

The left has lost power in the U.S., Germany, Italy and Sweden. Canada and Australia may be next. And the far right is growing across the West. But there is one European country where the left has won re-election and marginalized the far right: Denmark. Why? 🧵