coastal elite

Coastal elite is a dismissive term for affluent, educated professionals concentrated in major cities on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts—New York, Washington, San Francisco, Los Angeles.

The phrase implies these people are out of touch with ordinary Americans, holding liberal values and looking down on middle America: The coastal elites don't understand what real workers go through.

Often used in political rhetoric to suggest a cultural divide between cosmopolitan urbanites and heartland populations.