Why do people vote for Donald Trump?

Emails from readers.

In last Friday’s Mailbag post, I put out a call: I wanted to hear from people who either were planning to vote for Donald Trump or could articulate the views of someone voting for the former president.

Why? Because he got 74 million votes in 2020. And was elected president four years earlier. And he has basically a coin-flip chance of being president again in 7 weeks time.

Too many people — especially liberals — dismiss ALL Trump voters as dumb, racist or dumb and racist.

I think that sort of lowest-common-denominator “analysis” ill serves all of us. Tens of millions of people support Trump in this country. Rather than dismiss them all out of hand, I think we are far better served to seek to understand why they think what they think.

After all, my training in journalism has always taught me to ask “why”? To get beyond the easy conclusions and into the real stuff that reveals who we are and who we want to be.

Now, to be clear: There are absolutely people who have and will vote for Trump who are racist. Or dumb. Or both. But that’s not all of his support — or even close to it.

Several “So What” subscribers took me up on my offer to articulate the “why” behind Trump’s support. I publish two emails I received below. Neither has the person’s name attached — at their request.

I ask that you read them, fully, and take them at face value. Consider the argument and the logic. Which doesn’t mean it will change your mind! But we ALL benefit from understanding other thoughtful peoples’ perspectives — especially those that disagree with ours.

Which is why if you are a Trump supporter and want to make your case, I am happy to hear it. Email me at cillizzac@gmail.com. I may even publish a few more of these.

One more note before I get to the Trump emails: This is the sort of stuff I think is the value-add I can bring to our toxic political discourse. Rather than tell you only what you want to hear, I aim to challenge you to listen to things you might never see on other “rah rah” newsletters. Only by seeing and hearing people who disagree with us are we ever going to fix what’s broken in our politics.

I believe deeply in this mission. If you’d like to invest in what I am building, please become a paid subscriber. It’s $6 a month or $60 for the year.

Trump argument #1

I am not a Trump voter, but some of my smart friends are. Here's what they tell me. There are two main reasons, one cultural/moral and one economic. But #4 is key - his bad is unintentional and can be overcome. [Kamala Harris’] bad is intentional and will have the full backing of her administration. 

1.      The Democratic party promotes an intentional agenda of undoing a traditional (perhaps even a “Judeo-Christian”) understanding of humanity and morality. They see the pictures from the recent VMA awards and say, “Trump may be terrible as a person, but he isn’t trying to recreate culture and turn it into this.” I can live with his own personal moral failings. What I don’t want to live with is my school district installing kitty litter in the bathrooms to accommodate those who identify as furries. While the litter claim may not be true, the fact that it is even a discussion point is evidence of a world that’s gone mad. 

2.      Abortion. Trump may be a terrible person, but abortion is the intentional ending of a human life. In his first term, he appointed three justices that undid Roe v Wade. In his second, he will not actively support the end of abortion. But he is unlikely to support the advance of abortion. 

3.      His instincts on economic policies are better than her formulated beliefs. Tariffs aren’t great, but they are better than taxing unrealized capital gains.

4.      There will be people around him to stop the worst impulses he displays. He is not smart. He is not capable. He is not qualified. But the choice is binary. I can vote for incompetence, which can be balanced by the people in office around him frustrating his worst impulses and overcoming his incapacity to do the job. Or choose someone who may be capable, but will pursue both cultural and economic principles that are not just self-servingly contrary to my preference, but are actually bad for the nation in which we live. He may say and do things that are embarrassing. But he isn't pursuing an agenda that cuts against the very nature of what it means to be a flourishing human being.

Trump argument #2

I am a registered Republican who is not a Trump supporter.  I liked some things he did during his four years as President and didn't like other things he did or said, but I think he demeaned the office of the Presidency during his term and his actions on 1/6/21 sealed the deal for me as far as not supporting him in any subsequent election.

Still, I would like to share my thoughts on why Trump has many supporters, particularly those in the "working class," or non-college educated voters

Amity Shlaes referred to this group as "The Forgotten Man," in her book about the 1930s.  Richard Nixon referred to this group as "The Silent Majority" in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  In recent years, the Democratic party has largely rejected this group, along with their cultural values, as deplorables.  The establishment of the Republican party largely ignored this group, but when Donald Trump came down the escalator, many non-college educated voters gravitated towards him because he represents to them an opportunity for substantial change.  They capitalized on this opportunity by taking over the Republican party, as the establishment Republicans weren't taking them seriously or even paying attention to them.

Our current "system" isn't working for the majority of non-college educated Americans.  Electing Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris or an establishment Republican isn't going to significantly change the system.  To this group, if a seasoned politician is elected, it means a continuation of the same things that aren't working for them, albeit with a slightly different emphasis depending on the party in power.

Along comes Donald Trump, who seems to understand the frustrations of this group.  Some of Trump's supporters love it when he is "sticking it to the elites"; others roll their eyes at the things he says and does.  Still, this group sees in Trump a chance for an upheaval of the status quo.  Trump could change their lives for the better or the worse, but since they believe they have much more to gain than they do to lose from such an upheaval, Trump is their guy.  The fact the elites who are doing quite well in the current system absolutely hate Trump reinforces to these "non-elites" that Trump is on to something.

Whether or not these Trump supporters are correct in their beliefs is subject to debate.  I don't know for sure, and you don't either.  What they want is a reasonable opportunity for a good life in America, one they do not believe is likely, or maybe even possible, for them and their descendants the way things are today.

Of course, there are far-right and far-left extremists who love or hate Trump for what I would say are irrational reasons.  Still, I think the majority of Trump supporters see him as the best chance for a better life for them, their families and friends, and their communities.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts as a paid subscriber.  You may use or lose any of this as you see fit, but please leave my name out of it.  I'm looking to bring people together instead of fueling the divisiveness.