Why do voters support Trump? Brookings pastor Kline cites 10 reasons for their adoration of such a dangerous, deluded man
For a long time I’ve puzzled over the preference many have for former President Donald Trump.
Did he do something in his first term in office that was particularly endearing to the MAGA audience? What is it about the American past that his supporters want to “Make Great Again?” What is it about his presence and persona that collects the crowds?
Then when I actually began to think about it, several reasons for his following came to mind. The following are my top 10:
1. Trump has made stopping immigration his priority; no more immigrants! They are rapists, terrorists, drug runners, Muslims,etc. When a bipartisan bill to address immigration came before Congress, he asked, and got, Republicans to kill it, as it would damage the primary issue of his campaign. (Besides, those folks crossing the border were people of color; threats to American jobs and welfare; many from “shit-hole countries.”)
2. Trump (seen above in a public domain photo posted on wikimedia commons) promises to drain the swamp, the “deep state.” He expects to have loyalists in all of the positions of authority throughout the government, cutting all of the “fat” and “bureaucrats” from past administrations, that burden the taxpayer and make his decision making and implementation of his priorities more difficult.
3. Trump rides the waves of the culture wars. He garners the support of those who have made abortion “the” concern of their political life. Any other concerns are secondary to killing a life in the womb, (even killing infants already living). And less articulated but just as energizing, Trump is not so supportive of LGBTQ folks and their radical push to be accepted in American society.
4. Trump promises an “America first” agenda. Call it protectionism or isolationism or being “Number One” in everything. He prefers we go it alone to a NATO where we pay more than our share. He prefers negotiations with Russia over Ukraine rather than arming the invaded. Autocrats are to be cultivated. Economic walls must accompany the border walls. During his Presidency, we withdrew from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, (UNESCO), and the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
5. Trump offers a certain kind of machismo that appeals to some. He talks and acts tough. His opponents are trivialized with name-calling; they are berated and threatened, often demonized. At international gatherings, he’s been known to push others aside as he makes his entrance.
6. Trump uses a remembrance of a simpler more racially exclusive picture of the past to coax supporters into his plans for the future. Make America Great Again! People of color were virtually invisible to many in the 1950s, except for an occasional athlete.
7. Trump is a misogynist. He is enough of a patriarch to know that women have a place below men and they need to stay in their place. Their place includes being grabbed in their privates, assaulted in a dressing room, and forgiving of a philandering husband.
8. Trump excels at dog whistles. He doesn’t need to say what he thinks about race, pluralism, diversity or other faiths. His predominately white followers understand the unstated and act accordingly, just as they did on Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol.
9. Trump doesn’t have the support of everyone because of the above concerns. There are those who are die-hard Republicans. They have to vote as a matter of principle and there is no way in hell they would vote Democratic.
10. Trump wears the mantle of Christian Nationalism. He is treated like a Messiah by members of the religious right, a dangerous assignment for any person in any age. One might expect the new Messiah to proclaim love of God and neighbor, walk in servitude and humility, welcome all to the table of bread and wine, reject all and every form of violence, honor God’s good Creation. Think again!
If I missed something, let me know. I’m trying to understand. One final thought: God did not save Trump from an assassin’s bullet. The 20-year-old disturbed young man was a poor shot. Instead, a firefighter died protecting his family. Was that God’s intention?
Our politics lack persons of integrity. Let’s forget partisanship and party politics; forget wealth and power brokers; forget even policy priorities. Let’s bring persons of integrity back to the political process; who help us love each other instead of inspiring hate!
Carl Kline of Brookings is a United Church of Christ clergyman and adjunct faculty member at the Mt. Marty College campus in Watertown. He is a founder and on the planning committee of the Brookings Interfaith Council, co-founder of Nonviolent Alternatives, a small not-for-profit that, for 15 years, provided intercultural experiences with Lakota/Dakota people in the Northern Plains and brought conflict resolution and peer mediation programs to schools around the region. He was one of the early participants in the development of Peace Brigades International. Kline can be reached at carl@satyagrahainstitute.org. This column originally appeared in the Brookings Register.
