While one can understand why politicians would frequently reference “The American People,” with the public more polarized and divided than at any time since perhaps the Civil War, it is one of those lazy, meaningless constructs that media should labor to avoid.
As much as we might like to think of “the American People” widely sharing key values on many issues, there is no monolithic consensus and little common ground, in the same way smaller subgroups, from race to gender, do not always see eye to eye however much polls and pundits attempt to group them.
Or, for a narrower but quite enlightening example, just ask “‘Star Wars’ Fans.”