Podesta was in New Zealand four days ago "to see how things are going" in NZ Progressive movement
Podesta said that while Trump had run on a campaign of promising to help ordinary people, he had ruled like a "plutocrat", delivering tax cuts which largely benefited the most wealthy Americans.
The 2018 midterm elections saw Trump's Republican party lose ground in many of the states which were key to his victory, part of what Podesta believed was a counter movement driven by the Democratic Party.
However, he warned that the use of social media could whip the public into a "frenzy", making politicians who exploited it an ongoing danger, risking democratic values.
"The natural tendency [of social media] … is to move people into the extreme, to support, inflame and influence people through social media channels."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/111168319/top-presidential-advisor-says-arderns-election-was-a-bright-spot-amid-populist-wave