because there's a lot less of the middle class than there used to be.

It was recent, so I thought I would bring it up. But it was a very prominent person in a very high-profile setting. Again, I'm hoping the person just messed up. There is no way, in an election year, that we want to snub the middle class (or those aspire to it, aspire to return to it, or think they are in it, even if they aren't).

The fact that the middle class is under pressure, even with some falling out of it, should be a major concern. We need more votes to win. I, for one, don't want us to win by a squeaker. I want it to be a landslide.

What makes that the correct phrase? Why does it matter?

We don't want to snub our voters, and we have a whole lot of middle-class voters. It would be both rude and, from a political perspective (imo) incompetent.

Rude? Snubbed voters? What does "middle class" mean to you? You are distinguishing it from "working class." Does that mean white collar versus blue collar, then? And it would be rude to white collar workers and snub them if we say working class but fail to say middle class?

As simply temporarily embarrassed Millionaires.
Working Class is Middle Class.

Unless the money you have on hand to get your "stuff" comes a trust or investments, you work.
Even if it's begging someone else to give you money or getting paid to look pretty or sound smart.
You get up at a certain time to perform an expected task. That's work.