How Hitler and the Nazis came to power.
And now, after we "won" World War Two.
After we "won" the Cold War.
Hitler and the Nazis are coming back. And this time, Russia is their ally.
1
This explains why Trump said he likes the uneducated.
Great, more "data." Did you learn NOTHING from the 2016 election? How'd your data and polls work out for you then? We'll find out who will win the day after the election (in most cases). There is no point in this conjuring of data to try and show something that you can't see. You will never be able to predict elections with any reliable accuracy, because people lie, people change their minds, and quite frankly, some people can't remember what they ate for lunch, let alone who they intend to vote for.
And you can say what you want about the Trump "coalition," but he fills venues with his ridiculous "MAGA" events as if they are a high school pep rally. When it comes time for them to get in the voting booth, no matter how "warm" they feel toward the Clown, they will not vote against him, because they're angry, they're afraid, they HATE liberals, and they're not all that smart.
So predict away, NYT, and I'll bet against you every time. It's almost a sure thing.
There's no there there. Trump voters appear to be basically identical to general Republican voters. And we have had a searing lesson in how Republicans put party of country just this past week. Why would we expect any significant amount of Republicans to not vote for a Republican, even such a loathsome one as Trump?
Let's stop paying attention to these Trump voters and instead try to mobilize people who didn't vote, as well as do our best to maintain voting rights and fight gerrymandering. I think educated people and liberals in particular have a desire to try and understand how phenomena (in this case, Trump's election) happened but the answer is simply we share a country with a lot of people who are terribly selfish and often hateful for whatever reason. It's not that interesting and not worth our time anymore.
1
Thanks to gerrymandering, however, getting rid of the Trump will take a very large percentage of his base turning on him. And the only way that's going to happen is if the economy tanks on the GOP's watch, unfortunately. Of course, the Trump base will never give Obama credit for developing the current economic climate because racism lurks in the hearts of many Trump supporters, whether they realize it or not. Sadly, you can't poll for that, but it is there, like the stain this Presidency has cast on the world.
We woudn't be in this mess if the DNC, Schultz, and the Clinton gang recognized and ceded that Sanders was the candidate of the people. I don't have a problem with government, politics is destroying our country. I couldn't imaging our country could sink this low, sadly it has and there seems to be no bottom in sight. Trump is a disgrace.
2
In 2016 Trump showed unexpected strength in Minnesota. Trump held a MAGA rally here in Rochester on Thursday. When I walked my dogs on Friday morning there were two new lawn signs on my street. I have a lawn sign for Dan Feehan the Democratic candidate. The new signs supported the Republican candidate. There are a total of three lawn signs on the street. While lawn signs aren't votes, indicative of likely votes. The First District of Minnesota is an open seat in a district that leans Republican. It's a seat that Democrats must win.
When Trump won in 2016, the DFL lost the legislature.
The factor that you do not consider is momentum. Right now the Republicans have momentum on their side. Too many voters just want to vote for the winner. They have little knowledge of the candidate or the candidate's policies and weak allegiance to the candidate's party. The Republicans could have lost momentum if the Kavanaugh nomination had failed, but they dodged that bullet.
1
Assume that the life expectancy in the USA is about eighty. Assume 320 million Americans. Then, every year about four million Americans drop off their perch from old age.
So in November 2018, two years after November 2016, eight million older Americans, most of whom voted for Trump, will be inelegible to vote.
3
This article does not address a key question. How many people actually voted for Barack Obama in 2012 and voted for Donald Trump in 2016. Yes, many people in the white working class demographic voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012, and yes, this demographic voted for Trump in 2016 and remain loyal to him, even now. This is often presented as evidence that most Trump loyalists are not motivated by racism and xenophobia. But I have seen no data on the percentages of individual voters who changed their vote from Democrat to Republican, only a few anecdotes. Hillary Clinton gaffed that half of Trump voters were "deplorable", that is, they were motivated by racism and xenophobia, so were not open to reasoned argument. I suspect that the data on demographic vote switching reflect people who did not bother to vote in 2012, and became energized in 2016 when they had a candidate who validated their prejudices, whether they are conscious of those prejudices or not.
4
I really disagree that voting for Barack Obama somehow means you're not racist. There is a wide spectrum of racism, and while I don't think the *most* racist people voted for President Obama, I can absolutely believe that plenty of people who are indifferent to racial issues voted for him and then voted for Trump. Especially in 2016 when his opponent was the distasteful Mitt Romney.
Let's ask Omarosa!!
She's indicated the callous behavior of staff, the lack of security in the white house, and the overt racism of this president---->
His dog whistle policies and dubious intentions.
He has a cult fixated on white grievance, and she brings her own grievances. Did Trump not know John Kelly had fired her?
Is Trump even in charge? That alone casts a huge spotlight on this administration.
Not to mention the recklessness of a white house staffer being able to tape a conversation in The Situation Room, where Obama and Hillary Clinton watched the doomed fate of one Osama bin Laden.
So much for Trump's "best people" claim: this is a reckless administration making very big mistakes. Wake up, Republicans.
1
His supporters, mostly men, are folks that want to be just like him. Period. I think it is just that simple. He is their goal.
3
The difference is that the Democrats celebrate diversity and inclusion and talk to minorities while the GOP talks exclusion and cater to Whites. Trump supporters see a rising population of blacks, browns and Hispanics taking their jobs and using their tax money for their health care, welfare and education. Trump has put it all on the table, it's about race and racism in America and it;s now okay to call it as they see it.
2
The report says "The shift among college-educated white voters was particularly sharp, and the Pew data is one of the strongest pieces of evidence indicating that Mrs. Clinton did far better among this group than initially believed." But he data referred-to shows no such thing. A category in the breakdown of the composition of Democratic votes can increase two ways: if the number of voters in that category increases, or if the number of voters in other categories decreases. The quote assumes the first is the explanation, other info in the article suggests the second is correct.
I suggest much more valuable research would be occasional voters and non-voters. Who are they, why are they demoralized, and what methods can we employ to encourage them, inform them, and help them perform their vital role as involved citizens?
It is far easier to discourage and demoralize someone from voting than it is to animate someone through the process of registering, preparing and voting.
The 2nd question was a trick question. The Times asked how "warmly" voters felt about Trump, not how "enthusiastic." There is a difference.
1
Thanks for publishing real data based on the 2016 election.
A few things stand out.
1. The overwhelming majority of voters in 2016 were white by a margin of 3 to 1 (74% whites to 25% non-whites). However, the Clinton electorate was only 60% white; many of the white voters who had voted previously for Democrats (Obama, Kerry) either did not vote in 2016 or crossed over to Trump. Surely those whites who switched from Democrats to Republicans can not be all called racists. It will be interesting to know what caused them to switch.
2. “Rural areas cover 97 percent of the nation’s land area but contain 19.3 percent of the population (about 60 million people),” (https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2016/cb16-210.html).
However, the composition of rural voters in 2016 was 27%, roughly a third higher than their general population. Democrats under-performed in the rural segment (19% Democrats Vs 35% Republicans).
3. The pains inflicted by globalization (NAFTA, KORUS), and automation have heavily impacted the livelihoods of working class in general, and more specifically the rural population after the inductance of China into WTO in 2000. More than 100,000 factories, many located in the rural areas in the US closed down due to perceived unfair trade practices by China. One can argue that Democrats’ blind faith in globalization (TPP anyone?) left a bitter taste among the working class. Perhaps it may have caused many in the industrial Midwest to switch over to Trump?
4
Very significantly, more women than men voted in the 2016 election, 55% women Vs. 45% men. According to this article, among the Hillary's voters in 2016, 61% were women compared to 47% Trump women voters. Yet, because of the overwhelming majority of the 2016 voters were white, it is plausible that previous reports in the media that roughly 52% of white WOMEN voters voted for Trump in 2016 may hold true. If so, and assuming the same trend of a higher percentage of women voting in the upcoming 2018 mid-term election, how does the Democrat party get more white women to vote for their candidates?
1
Wait a minute! Republicans are traditionally the party of globalization (Clinton/NAFTA not withstanding). And more factories closed in the rust belt areas of the country than rural parts.
1
Republicans are driven ideologically to support one-way globalization that have, in many cases,eviscerated the working class' livelihoods. The Democrats, on the other hand, speak about the middle class, but their actions have resulted in harm to the economic welfare of the middle class. For ex.,NAFTA, support for China's induction into WTO, corporate lobbyists tasked with writing the rules of TPP (<--during Pres. Obama's administration), signing the repeal of Galss-Steagall by Pres. Clinton etc.
During the secret meetings in writing the rules of TPP, there was no representation of the working class among the participant countries (including the US). The Democrats became the voice of the US multinational corporations whose mantra is to maximize their profits on the backs of workers. It is notable that Trump has usurped the Democrats' space on Fair Trade, and now owns it.
"more factories closed in the rust belt areas of the country than rural parts". One normally does not see factories in major cities; they are usually located in smaller towns that act as anchors for employment of the surrounding rural areas. No wonder the working class in the Mid-West revolted against the Democrats. Hopefully they will come to the realization that the Republican party is not their friend.
1
Bubble living media folks...just don’t get it ...the support for President Trump....and never will....finally a president who speaks without political speak....
3
Pelican, and no class and no clue.
5
Why do people/organizations who consider themselves experts keep missing the fundamental issue? I'm a white/hispanic married upper middle income suburban educated voter. I've lived in the South nearly all of my life. I didn't vote for Trump but couldn't vote for Clinton either - voted for everything else though. I know a LOT of people who reluctantly voted for Trump but it was for two reasons only:
1. Clinton was a horrible alternative choice. 2. They knew at least two Supreme Court spots would open during Trump's term and really want a non-activist court - BIG reason.
Democrats just need great candidates to win the white house and Congress, with a clear message, and make an effort to solve serious problems in a collaborative way. I'm a moderate Republican that would definitely support that - so would many people I know.
2
Non-activist, David? Like the court that gave us Citizens' United.
You think that is stare decisis?
15
Oh please, "I want a non-activist judge" is just straight up "I want an activist judge that holds my views".
1
This is a mildly encouraging piece. But it does not assess the roots of the problem. America has always had a strong minority (35 to 45%?) of racist, bigoted, and xenophobic voters of varying degrees of vehemence. Since 1980 Reagan and the Republican Party as a whole, with the all important help of wealthy special interests, have systematically and successfully cultivated, grown, and made more rancid and powerful this minority. Simply remembering some of the rhetoric and policies (welfare queens, supply side economics, desire to abolish the Department of Education) of Reagan and his administration confirms this. Trump is not the cause but the result of the views and policies of the Republican Party.
12
Any Republican, and particularly the establishment Republicans, would have delivered conservative federal judges and the asinine tax cuts for the super-rich. The factor that is different and explains the devotion to Trump among much of the 40% is the anti-immigrant policies and the racial dog-whistle rhetoric. This is what they feel deep down and they are mesmerized that the President of the United States thinks, feels and speaks like they do.
Think about it, they could throw Trump overboard, avoid all of the controversy, maybe keep the House and Senate, and get the same judges and the same tax cuts with Pence or any standard Republican. If they were rational and policy driven, Republicans across the country would be embarrassed, ashamed and demanding the end of the Trump presidency. It would clearly be in their best political interest yet they don't do it.
8
I have seen the enemy, and it is US. Break all the mirrors!
2
The only poll that will matter will be in November. While this article makes some speculations based on a poll the fact is that most of the polls have been very poor predictors of what transpires when election day comes.
2
What I want to know is this, why do non educated whites who are his base how they think that this administrations policies are going to improve their lives? The answer is they wont't. His policies will only improve the standing of the 1 percent period.
7
I would read the impact of the lower educated voter who has an emotional and personal attachment to DJT as that of a cult member for the cult leader. Just like a cult, DJT's supporters don't support him on the basis of facts but rather faith.
It is imperative that those opposed to DJT show up at the polls in November. This demagogue needs to be shown the door in 2018, investigated by Congress in 2019 and jailed in 2021. Vote in November.
7
Two observations:
1. Equality is not a zero sum proposition, where one group achieves it at the expense of another. If you feel that others gaining equality somehow threatens your standing in the world, perhaps that speaks to how you exercise that position.
2. I went to high school with a lot of people who have become Trump voters. What many don't understand is that this feeling of disenfranchisement or the world passing them by isn't a recent phenomenon. The fact is that 40 years ago when we were sitting in math and science class, taking notes and handing in our homework while many of them were carving their names in their desks or staring out the window, their fate was sealed. While there are other factors involved certainly, those who didn't put the time in all those years ago were destined to be left behind by a rapidly changing economic landscape. It's a hard truth.
12
I know several people who voted for Trump. They are financially stable, retired with a comfortable pension or employed in a well paying union job with medical benefits.
I agree fear of losing their standing and the anger that comes with it are strong motivators, but after seeing what they applaud most about this administration, I'm sorry to say so is greed.
9
I wonder too about being fed the American dream as a child even though, in hindsight, it wasn't going to be a reality for all of us. It worked out for me but it didn't for a lot of people and it isn't hard to seeing how they might have become resentful
2
You got that entirely wrong. The difference is that the Democrats celebrate diversity and inclusion and talk to minorities while the GOP talks exclusion and caters to Whites who see a rising population of blacks, browns and Hispanics taking their jobs and using their tax money for their health care, welfare and education. Trump has put it all on the table, it's about race and the racists in America feel free to say it like it is.
11
NYT's- please please please stop this daily and relentless over-focus of coverage of the Trump crowd. It just never ends, day in, day out.
I'm seriously beginning to believe that you and your staff are subconsciously (or consciously) attempting to give cover to your financial underwriters, most of whom I suspect are either outspoken or alternately, covert GOP voters and apologists, financial contributors. Its the only reason I can conclude as to why you are not giving at the very least equal coverage to far more mainstream voices of concern relating to fixing our deeply troubling concierge type health system, our outrageously overpriced college ed system, the increasing privatization of our public schools, etc... the list is- unfortunately- endless.
Trump apparently is correct about the media. But it's not the 'fake news', it's the irrefutable fact that our media is being led around on a leash by the wrong people as they fall ever more deeply into Trumps' malicious and antagonistic 'get it right' trap. Stop.
14
Yes, we need to move on.
2
Please. Move on. Today. Now.
There is too much at stake to keep dwelling in the past. They're his base - they are what they are. They will have to live with what they've done.
We need to focus on today in the future. Let the Trumpers dwell in the mythical past where all was perfect and golden - and white.
3
Why has the support for Trump held up despite all?
Perhaps it is because of all.
The constant attacks may have reinforced his support, because of who is attacking and because of what they attack about.
Politics has two sides. Despite his own ego, it is not all about Trump. It is also about the opposition to Trump.
It may well be that the nature of the opposition has been counter productive.
That is even likely, since much the same approach by much the same people lost the election to Trump.
Don't do it again.
When dealing with people who live in fantasy, nothing avails except reinforcing their existing fantasies. That is why negotiating with them is futile.
12
Surprise? No. When I survey the article photograph of the Trump crowd apologists, I do not see one person of color, and, interestingly, on the video, I see mob mentality anger and deep seated hostility.
What I find sadder than sad is how much time, energy and media attention, over the last nearly two long years, is being sucked away by the Trump denialist crowd at the expense of the rest of us independents, progressives and decent working class people who are struggling to have our voices (and our sides) heard over the monopolistic Trump din.
When is the media going to finally give US a voice on the front page 24/7?
19
College-educated whites voted for Trump in great numbers as well - look at any Greek organization on any college campus, and most if not all of the members will be Trump supporters. Fraternities and sororities represent everything Trump is about - white, privileged power that excludes anyone who is different whether ideologically or physically. Given the amount of rape scandals that occur in frats, it's no surprise that they don't see an issue with Trump's bragging about sexually assaulting women.
13
Trump's Coalition.
FOX News.
Laura Ingram making racist comments regarding immigration.
Why would there be national sponsors for the network, or her show, unless they were racist too?
13
The problem with all of the articles that look at polls and the data in them is the history of the 2016 election demonstrates that polls are not reliable. No one that I know ever answers their phone if they do not recognize the number so what you have for respondents is people who are inattentive and answer by the phone by mistake or people who are really bored. Remember “Clinton by 12%--I do. Basically the polling business is dead because no one believes the polls so articles can be written about the polls but the articles and the polls have no value. After the midterm elections produce real data then some analysis will be valid but if the turnout is low in a particular subset why that occurred will be opinion.
4
Jonathon--The turnout will not be low.
1
Thursday, August 09, 2018
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows that 47% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty-one percent (51%) disapprove.
What do the other polls say....
2
There are issues with the way the poll was conducted - via telephone. Almost everyone I know does not answer, listen to voice mails , or return calls from unidentified phone numbers. How did Pew get participants?
6
IT is in the article.
1
It is not, which is why I commented. How random was the dialing? Was there any monitoring for the number of callers geographically for balance? A 312 area code does not mean a Chicago resident since cell phone numbers are portable. What were the controls? "The American Trends Panel (ATP), created by the Pew Research Center, is a nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults recruited from landline and cell phone random digit dial surveys. "
I don't think that "happy" people voted for trump. When I see the video footage of his staged rallies, I see "anger, fear and hostility". This will not make America great. Sad.
23
They are pretending...he stages everything. Take a look behind him within camera shot...what a mix...complete set up....he is a disgrace to the American people. We are not a reality show.
6
Joseph--Yes, sneering, and cursing, always makes think of "jovial good humor." Looks more like a scary circus, to me. Clowns have always frightened me.
5
I see blithely unaware people who are grateful
someone pretends to see them. How cruel!
5
"How Broad, and How Happy, Is the Trump Coalition?"
If ignorance is bliss, I'd say Trump supporters are blissfully happy.
10
There is no study or survey that can accurately measure these things. I support most of the president's actions, but never respond to any questions. I bet there are many of us. Why bother, in several years we will once again have a choice to return the president or not.
3
Really? you support actions from a president who will
not do his homework and is none too bright and is enriching
himself at the expense of the voters' money and is playing
with fire, (and help causing fires) isolating us and indulging in trade wars with out knowing a lick about trade policies. Tax cuts to the rich
do not bother you? Increasing global warming which is
already here? the fact he is a failed businessman, 6 times, and
has not the slightest respect for the truth, punishes anyone
who disagrees with him. Really? It is fascinating to watch
people turn themselves into pretzels finding ways to offset
Trumps serious buffoonery, and self centeredness and childishness.
The guy is a con, a grifter, and does not give a rat's behind
about you or anyone, and yet you people sit up and ask for more.
Wake up and see you are worth so much more than being
tricked by this fraudster . Wake up and see that you yourself are
stronger and smarter than he is. Honest, I hate to see you Trump
lovers bamboozled over and over till you have nothing left but
a raggedy old red hat to cover your head in the 150 degree weather.
11
The more important question is how broad was the Trump coalition when he was elected the 25th president of the USA and how broader is it getting now that he has has been 18 months in the white house? Will the low unemployment among all Americans including African Americans, Hispanics and Women influence the size of the Trump coalition?
1
Trump had little to do with the current unemployment figures.
4
Of course the article did not give the main reason Trump voters voted as they did. Racism and hated of minorites - pure and simple. In other words MAGA.
21
How foolish, it was a choice. Hillary who I and many others believe to be incompetent, corrupt, arrogant, and not qualified to run a lemon aid stand, and the president. Easy choice!!
1
I think you made a typo. You wrote "Hillary" when you meant to write "Donald." After all she was the most qualified person ever to run for president, has never been indicted or had to pay hush money for past misdeeds, has never been found to be the least bit corrupt, and is only "arrogant" (as Obama was said to be "arrogant") because she is a woman (as Obama was partly black).
8
You have appeared to confuse the candidates' names. If not, please explain how substituting Trump's name for Hillary's would somehow be any less on target.
Trump's ability to run a lemonade stand? Puhlease, this "stable genius" is NUTHIN without his daddy's money.
2
Water seeks its own level. Trump's rallies allow him to speak about the only things he knows: lies, ridicule and gossip. And these are the topics that constitute the everyday discourse of his base -- the lowest and laziest form of communication requiring only the basest form of knowledge.
If you asked his base for their reading list, they'd mention stop signs and cereal boxes. Like Trump, they read nothing and never will.
As for the Christian moniker, forget it. True Christians are familiar with Scripture which tells us clearly that God created all of us, including the people Trump's putting in cages; that we must welcome the foreigner, that God loves variety in all of creation and that God hates pride, self-righteousness and in particular, lying.
In fact, Scripture calls the adversary "the father of lies." Sound like anyone you know?
12
I really wish these polls would ask if the participants are Evangelical.
5
There has always been a percentage of people who supports the Republican
party, and it matters not who it is, there is always support for the Republicans
because there is a superstructure of propaganda that has been organized
so that these people get a world view that is different from the rest
of America.
The right wing media hubs reinforce an ideology of compliance,
and people in certain geographic areas who watch/listen are constructed
as obedient voters for the Republicans.
Hopefully people will begin to question the way that they receive their news,
and how it has shaped their world view,
Women have changed their world view of Trump,
and they are rejecting the Republican ideology of racism and sexism.
Women reject Trump's sexist and racist garbage, and are working
towards the defeat of the GOP in the November elections.
7
Power to the votes of women.
Go November elections.
1
I've got a number of pro-Donald relatives in the Midwest: religious, little or no college education, and mostly blue collar.
So they're not used to debate and critical thinking. Donald to them, I believe, is a religious thing... of the GOP religion. Their parents were Republican, so they are too. "And don't you dare say anything bad about the head of our GOP congregation!"
I'm a longtime (42 years) Manhattanite. In 1976 there was a NY Times article on the 30-year-old Donald. Some people fawned, as noted in the piece, because of his inherited wealth and glitz, but others called young Donald “overrated’ and “totally obnoxious.”
Little about Donald has changed, except his wives and lovers, and the fact that my relatives made him POTUS.
https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/01/archives/donald-trump-real-estate-pro...
10
This study neglects the group that broke overwhelming for Trump and will do so in 2018 and 2020 - the Russians.
11
Watching FOX scroll at the bottom of their screen....Does Obama hate America? Next week it's....Does Obama hate white people? For 8 straight years. Why people fear that they will now be a minority. Does this mean they don't want to be treated like they treated others. The only people uncomfortable with people of color are people that haven't lived with people of color. Best experience i ever had was forced busing in Dallas in the 70's. This showed all the white people that stayed that they had been lied to. That they had been taught racism since birth.
8
Not sure how broad they are, but I certainly would not consider trump folks, happy folks. They are, however, stunningly adept at creating dark clouds in every silver lining.
2
If the goal is to use this polling to try to predict outcomes in the 2018 races, this analysis falls short. There is no discussion of whether Republicans who are disenchanted with the president will translate that to disenchantment with the party itself. My interactions with Republicans who voted for him and no longer support him leads me to conclude that a fair number of such voters (maybe even a majority?) will continue to vote Republican in local and Congressional races. Many of them don't view him as a "real" Republican, and see no disconnect between abandoning him and remaining loyal to the party. If that bears out, disenchantment with him will be predictive of nothing in 2018.
1
There are real conservatives where you live, and you actually know them. Those I know don't like his tweets, but are quite happy with his policies.
1
A lot of people, not all, see rights like they do money, and there's only so much to go around. Perhaps those tending to the left take the "free love" theory literally, but more importantly, they want to spread out love like they do wealth, whereas conservatives see love as a precious natural resource and want to concentrate it like people do wealth. The notions of self-reliance, bootstraps and the "I've got mine, you get yours" bear this generalization out.
Rights are seen as precious by all, and the right sees them as scarce resources since their media has throughout the ages said our rights are under attack. Heck, we had to fight a revolution and civil war to win and preserve them. The left doesn't think they are a scarce resource, and believes that they are so precious that everyone should have them.
Convincing the right that their rights are secure because there are always enough rights to go around would be a noble cause, and the first step would be to decouple the idea that their shrinking portion of the economic pie is linked to their perceived loss of rights they thought were inalienable.
Freedom, liberty, justice and equality have not ever been rights, they have been privileges people have had to earn and fight for. We may think they ought to be inalienable, but they can be taken away or given by those in power over others, just like wealth, and it is because the right conflates wealth and rights, they will not be contented until they feel financially secure.
4
@Chris I love this explanation. Living in a mentality of scarcity and vs. abundance makes all the difference in the world. Trump's base believe that affording one group "rights" means that there aren't enough to go around for them. But, of course, that's not how it works. But on some deep level they don't believe that.
Human rights are not zero-sum games.
1
This is an article this conservative Republican agree with. As a non-white post-graduate degree professional. I and my colleagues well realize the popular Trump supporter stereotype is wrong. But the emotions against Trump supporters are so strong especially in SF Bay area, we all choose to be silent about our politics for fear or demonizing attacks by the anti-Trumpers. Unfortunately for the anti-Trumpers, their aggression has only reinforced our support for Trump. To validate another point of the article, I was pro-Cruz, anti-Trump in the primaries and voted for Trump reluctantly in the general election. One and half year later, I am a fervent supporter because he has fulfilled much of his promises.
6
I think sometimes that pro-Trumpers think we just hate Trump because he is loud, a braggart, self-aggrandizing, etc. etc. etc.
The reality is that even if he were an erudite, calm, composed, kind person - we'd still be adamantly opposed to Trump. His many personal failings aside, we simply loathe what he is doing to our country, our international reputation, the America we were proud of and its values; and his savage treatment of the most defenseless and powerless among us. He is turning our country into an unrecognizable cesspool.
So - while you are gratified he's "fulfilling his promises" - he is doing so without a mandate of most American citizens - and we are horrified. It's not just because it's Trump.
We would be horrified at anyone doing what he is doing.
4
His promises cause people suffering. People losing their insurance with nowhere to go when they are severely ill, people losing the protection of unions that keep them employed and able to pay their rent, children whose future is being jeapordized by lowering pollution standards. That makes you happy?
4
Ignorant racists tend to stay ignorant, as Trump well knows.
8
Trump's grade school level of speech appealed to many of his voters during the election. Trump spoke just like them and he got rich, so they could too.
But Trump's stunning "Reverse Robin Hood" policies since taking office showcase his plan all along...Make his rich friends, much much richer, put them into cabinet positions of power, and tell the poor and middle class they must sacrifice, is his plan to achieve "absolute power" over all.
Trump's drastic cuts on important healthcare benefits, his tax cuts for the rich (plus his new "treasury" bonus for real estate moguls like himself), his massive tariffs on everyday products except those affecting himself and his daughter, and his rollback of environmental regulations protecting the nations water and air are costing everyday middle class/poor americans dearly.
Wake up Trump voters. He will not make you rich.
Trump's goal is to become an autocrat, (absolute power by one person) just like his idol, Vladimir Putin.
8
I like how you defined autocrat for us. Not condescending at all.
2
You're absolutely right - there was no condescension in his post.
2
I wonder if this survey asks any “why’s”? Because I’m kind of curious, even though I imagine the supporting side would just be parroting Fox & Friends. But I’d like to hear specifics from the ones who lost that lovin feeling. Actually, I know some of these people and it seemed a low point was during all the Stormy Daniels news coverage. This survey was before the child separation coverage—I’m wondering how many others lost their warm feelings after that. But is it enough for a traditional Republican to vote for a Democrat? I don’t think so, not many anyway. The Obama to Trump voter, maybe.
A couple statistics I found interesting—that Hillary had gotten the majority of under $30,000 income vote. I had heard that but seeing it in black and white gave me hope that some voters don’t vote against their self-interest. AND that 50+ and 65+ were so solidly Trump voters (or perhaps, just traditional Republicans). With Medicare and Social Security in danger under Republicans, it is mystifying this age group (my age group) votes this way Why don’t they get it? It’s kind of like during the healthcare “reform” debacle, all of the sudden people realized they didn’t really want the ACA to go away. Seniors or near-seniors need to realize that the GOP is not their friend.
6
Why is simple, look at the judges he has nominated, look at the economy, look at the promises kept. And I don't want a government as my friend, I want it to protect my rights and opportunities, not be my nanny.
2
We all define "rights and opportunities" differently, don't we?
1
Nice metaphoric confusion vulcanex. The “why” I’m talking about is regarding the changes for the worse in his support, so your comment makes no sense. And the trajectory of the economy was set by Obama who inherited what was close to a depression. AND, we don’t know yet what the GOP’s tax cuts and Trump’s impulsive trade policies will do to our future economy. Besides so many other deplorable qualities of this man, that’s one of the reasons I want him gone—I believe he’s going to eventually drag this good economy down.
1
Watch Seth Meyers epic take down of Trump. Real must see TV. Take a few minutes and watch.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/seth-meyers-donald-trump-space-forc...
First, those who dismiss these studies about what motivates Trump voters ignore the adage that to defeat one's enemy you must know him/her.
That said, this article and others before it continue to misunderstand what happened. They persistently blame the white, non-college educated voters for giving Trump the WH. Certainly they played a role. but what is continually misunderstood is that the "populism" that fueled Trump's victory is not the sole province of white, poorly educated voters. Millions of working and middle class voters are sick and tired of being ignored by the System, and so many turned to the self-anointed "outsider" (who in reality is the ultimate insider!) because the Democrats refused to listen.
Hilary Clinton was the poster child for the Status Quo, the continuation of decades old "trickle down' policies that sucked the wealth from the 99% upwards to the 1% donor class which she heavily courted. Yes, it's true that it was Republicans under Reagan and since who invented "trickle down" (supply side) economics, but the Dem power brokers wasted no time in embracing it and the fat cat donors who pushed for it. Many who voted for Trump did so because they were beyond frustrated with being ignored, not because they thought he would be a good President. But they preferred breaking the current system rather than seeing it last any longer. But these same voters can be won back if the Dems re-embrace their legacy of FDR, JFK, and LBJ. Dems return to your roots!
3
I think this analysis is mostly right especially for Republican voters in highly liberal states like NY. My neighbours (apparently my county went 70/30 in favour of Trump) are mostly Trump supporters and this is the reason they gave. I also think a lot of people who are poor or not so well off don't understand the structural advantages they have since they don't experience it. But everyone is in this boat one way or another. I may not be white, but I am male. I may not be gay but I'm handicapped. And so on. No one, even someone who is outwardly successful, has it all. So I don't begrudge society for collectively choosing to help groups of people who are at a structural disadvantage. But this difference may come off as racism or bigotry (in the person who doesn't understand that other people may have it tougher than they do). But it's unclear to me exactly what it is. It's very mild and definitely not politically correct.
Excellent analysis, wordy but worth the read.
All Trump voters are not traitors/bigots who want to see Putin or Hitler or Stalin run the country. Only a small fraction are.
Most of them are solid Americans who have legit concerns about issues like immigration, trade, Wall Street, foreign wars etc. that fell prey to an ego maniac demagogue.
Now is the time to educate them. The democrats should show they how Trump is against many of their values as Americans but also address the legit concerns of his voters.
2
First almost none are traitors or bigots. And we are already educated, dems only want power and entitlement, I don't. Never vote a dem in to the federal government, they are controlled by leadership and tend to be socialists.
2
Socialism can be a lot of different things, including giving farmers $12B.
3
Let's focus on the 40+% of Americans who didn't vote. They need to be registered and encouraged to participate.
Support Michelle Obama's initiative, www.whenweallvote.org.
1
Basic political literacy should be a test for white voters....
Anyone who would vote for a man who told a crowd of his supporters to beat up a peaceful protester and he'd pay their legal fees is a traitor to everything this country is supposed to stand for. I don't care whether they're white, black, brown, purple, green, educated or uneducated, male or female, young or old, whatever. They are traitors plain and simple for voting for someone who should be in prison for conspiracy to commit severe violence. It's just that simple, really.
7
What is simple is you oppose the rule of law, propose that people with a different point of view are traitors, and don't know what severe violence might be. Living in a fantasy alternative reality are you.
I was watching a speech by Trump on Fox News and heard him telling his crowd of supporters to beat up a peaceful protester. That's not a fantasy; that's reality. Anyone who voted for him knowing he had done that was a traitor to everything this country stands for as his actions were the first step in ending democracy in the USA.
2
Trump base is solid;but; not big enough to carry national elections. GOP stands solidly with Trump; GOP is the party of racism; hate and greed. Vote out GOP for health care; jobs and living wages. Ray Sipe
Hey number-crunchers, please do a correlation between “warm” regard for Trump and time spent viewing Fox News? Or, asking whether Fox News is the only or primary source of news for those voters?
NYT readers confused about the “resilience” of the Trump base should spend a minute or so perusing the headlines on Foxnews.com. Worse, force yourself to watch an episode of Hannity. Remember that many people consume hours per day of this point-of-view, loudly presented as “Fair and Balanced” – and, many of them have been watching for years.
Brainwashed is not too strong a term for the loyal Fox News viewer. Many cannot bear to access any other news outlet – it’s too jarring from the worldview they’ve accepted. They are not all trolls . . . no, much worse, they are ordinary people who enjoyed the so-called “common sense” of admittedly compelling types like Bill O’Reilly, and then over the years never changed the channel when it got worse, and worse, and then gleeful bullies like Ingraham took prime time.
It may have started with Rush Limbaugh: the whole grievance, “liberals are out to get us” righteous indignation; cherry-picking outrageous stories of liberal over-reach and presenting it as threatening to the average person. 30 years later, exacerbated by social media, pushed to its logical extreme, the “right-wing media” is ruled by Fox News, and that adoring Trump base is fed more propaganda hourly.
Put those numbers together – it would be a good study.
3
Hey number-crunchers, please do a correlation between “warm” regard for Trump and time spent viewing Fox News? Or, asking whether Fox News is the only or primary source of news for those voters?
NYT readers confused about the “resilience” of the Trump base should spend a minute or so perusing the headlines on Foxnews.com. Worse, force yourself to watch an episode of Hannity. Remember that many people consume hours per day of this point-of-view, loudly presented as “Fair and Balanced” – and, many of them have been watching for years.
Brainwashed is not too strong a term for the loyal Fox News viewer. Many cannot bear to access any other news outlet – it’s too jarring from the worldview they’ve accepted. They are not all trolls . . . no, much worse, they are ordinary people who enjoyed the so-called “common sense” of admittedly compelling types like Bill O’Reilly, and then over the years never changed the channel when it got worse, and worse, and then gleeful bullies like Ingraham took prime time.
It may have started with Rush Limbaugh: the whole grievance, “liberals are out to get us” righteous indignation; cherry-picking outrageous stories of liberal over-reach and presenting it as threatening to the average person. 30 years later, exacerbated by social media, pushed to its logical extreme, the “right-wing media” is ruled by Fox News, and that adoring Trump base is fed more propaganda hourly.
Put those numbers together – it would be a good study.
When Trump voters talk about jobs, it is more than that. It's about the most important of issue of the Trump campaingn, immigration. They see a rising population of blacks, browns and Hispanics. They see these people taking jobs and using our tax money for their health care, welfare and education. They see the white race becoming a minority. They are scared of the the future and losing control and see Trump as a supporter. Shenanigans or not, they believe in him and will stick with him.
Will his supporters be happy after reading this: "Vitaly Tretyakov, the dean of the Moscow State University’s School of Television, argued that the Russian government should use whatever leverage it had over Trump to bend the president to its will.
“Let’s turn this into a headache for Trump,” he said, according to Davis’ translation. “If you want us to support you in the elections, do what we say.”
2
Well since their leverage is negative there is no chance of bending his will to their desires.
These folks are happy as an addict. The experience s no different than taking a drag off a cigarette, a shot of tequila, an oxycontin pill or a toke. It feels good, for a little while, then it wears off and there you are with a hangover, a cough, an empty wallet and no lasting advances in resolving your psyche ache or your accomplishments or sense of belonging. Behind every substance abuse issue and eating disorder or Trump rally is no sense of belonging....and the lack of an ability to think clearly. Meanwhile, Trump is all about keeping people thrown. He is the master of disrupting. He is the quintessential bad date, who tells you everything you want to hear just to generate a momentary good mood, which ironically makes us less aware, so he can take advantage of you. And the people who are trying to defend our society from him are also acting thrown, being defensive or apathetic - and adding to his success. Social Science holds so much insight. We don't just study the march of the penguins. We also don't build critical thinking skills through our education system, have allowed our churches to be taken over by money changers and preach the apocalypse instead of Jesus's way of being to prevent it, and live in a world full of father issues.
Igniting a resiliency building movement is the answer. It's never too late to learn, to bond in a pro social way, to make it cool to be tolerant, to develop both the skill and attitude of empathy, even in the low affect types.
2
All the things non-supporters criticize about Trump were patently obvious during his campaign. If, as the article implies, a growing number of his supporters are disillusioned with him, it can't be because they only now they have noticed his awfulness. Nor can they be disillusioned with his policies. They might be clumsy or negative, but they are the policies he announced, or they expected him to implement.
Since he is the man he's always been, doing the things he said he'd try to achieve, disillusionment can only be because his supporters may have began to think he won't deliver as much as they expected. Which means they will search for the next racist, xenophobic, misogynist, gun-loving bigot who propels himself forward on the now indispensable (for the kind of people who like Trump) career in reality TV. The notion that suddenly they'll go back to their senses and look for the next Lincoln seems unlikely.
2
Or more likely this article is well "fake news", that being highly biased and without basis.
Trump supporters fall into categories. The first are uneducated and poor whites with racist tendencies. The second are educated and affluent whites who care only about protecting their portfolios from imaginary socialists. Both categories are equally despicable.
11
Coalition of the easily conned.
2
One of the strongest arguments I've ever seen supporting free college tuition for all...
8
..indeed.
1
I don't recall any similar polls on Obama prior to the 2010 mid-term election. I wonder why? Could it be that he was wildly unpopular, which was reflected in the 2010 rout?
3
Help me out here, Erik, whoever you might valiantly be. How did wildly unpopular President Obama become re-elected President Obama two years later?
4
Simple just think how he got elected in the first place. He won a large majority of a minority and turned them out as well.
Still makes him popular among ALL Americans.
Would love to see another column on the final chart that shows percentage of overall US population. I think I have a general idea, but your sliders always teach me that my "general ideas" are sometimes off by 20 percentage points.
Stop already.
Can we not loosen the Trump news hegemony, at least to some extent, and spend more time accurately analyzing the remaining millions of non-Trump voters?
I am tired of being told to listen, to understand and, perhaps most alarmingly, not to rock the boat with strong opinions because that will more deeply position the Trump base.
I am tired of hearing the Trump supporters suffering from inadequate health care and hurtful economic policies counter their distress with "I'll still vote for him."
Most of all, I am tired of the hate spewing from the White House and the leaden silence from Congressional leaders.
I want the preponderance of of news coverage to promote the voices from the millions out there who are thinking and working constructively to make this country a better place. Those are the people worth understanding.
13
Great points, that would be many Trump supporters who want the courts to do their jobs not the job of congress. Who want better trade deals and more opportunity. Who want equality of opportunity not of outcome.
If in this story one changes the name Trump with the name Obama. And change the word white with the word black. All would agree that this would be a very racist story.
4
But if you changed the wording as you suggest, the article simple wouldn't make sense.
1
Pew probably has a similar survey on Obama voters. These are the categories voters are put in. It’s statistics, not racism.
Sure it would.
If I were to extrapolate from the rants, chants and t-shirt slogans of Trump's supporters at his rallies and the pro-Trump memes I see online, my non-statistical, anecdotal guess would be that Trump voters are proud self-righteous willful ignoramus racists. Educated or not, they seem to have these traits in common.
11
Yea, please keep thinking that way-it was so successful for Hilary- and good luck with that in 2020.
3
I try to avoid engaging any Trump supporters. It's like talking to a member of a cult. Cult 45. In my experience with them, the thing that stands out is their lack of critical thinking skills.
10
"Cult 45" is so spot on.
I avoid progressives, they can't identify a difference of opinion from being a traitor. They also think "consensus" is science and other fantasy alternative reality things.
In 2016, Trump excited his base and defeated all Republican opponents. Clinton, in contrast, left her base indifferent while Sanders was exciting a sizable part of it. Also the polls suggested she would easily win, so many unexcited Democratic voters stayed home. Because he is so odious, he lost the popular vote, but won the electoral college. Trump has excited the Democratic opposition, so I think things might be different this time.
3
In profile after profile of Trump supporters I have seen, invariably they say there is plenty about him they don't like, but they continue to support him. It's sort of like a dysfunctional and abusive relationship, where they make excuses for him, take the abuse and won't kick the bum out. I can't figure out his appeal. Barely articulate, recycling the same grievances rally after rally, still unable to believe he won the 2016 election, stuck on Hillary Clinton, his speeches are a conglomeration of whining, complaints, self-admiration, lies and promises that he won't keep. I've tried to follow one of his speeches, but have to give up. Incomprehensible. Additionally, the little hands flutter, and the lips purse into their trademark little oval. He is ridiculous and should be laughed at, yet the venue is filled with the tears and screams you would expect to hear at a boy-band concert. Plus, he's done nothing since he was elected that's improved anything for anyone, except himself and his rich friends. Still, they love him. I don't get it.
23
Trump represents the triumph of substance over form. Instead of perfecting the art of explaining away failure and avoiding issues deemed too tough to tackle like other politicians, failure and ducking the issues are not options for Trump. Instead, he faces them head-on and does anything he can to resolve them, including trash-talking his adversaries and what were previously judged to be stylistic faux pas. Get used to it; the Trump genie isn't going back in the bottle. Besides, it's medicine our political system has needed for a long time.
2
They support his policies and ignore any Tweets they don't like. SIMPLE!!!
"Perhaps surprisingly, Mr. Trump’s voters were about as likely as the supporters of other recent Republican nominees to hold a college degree." Surprisingly? People who understand how the economy works (as opposed to recent college graduates!) know that letting a community organizer run the system for 8 years was a very bad idea. Trump has reinvigorated business, particularly small business, after nearly a decade of apologizing, overregulatoin and "you didn't build that".
5
Perhaps it's time to start limiting voting rights for non-college whites, just as Republicans have done for non-white citizens.
14
Well, let's make you commissioner of that, Elrod.
FYI: non-college white ≠ non-white. You also seem unaware that most Trump voters in 2016 were middle and upper income college educated, unlike those whose who elected Obama...twice.
Wow. That comment rocked my boat! You may be on to something.
Perhaps even stronger: Only those with BLUE EYES are allowed to VOTE! OR
only those who are 6 feet tall are allowed to vote! Or, as Trump would have it -
only those who cast their vote for me and my chosen candidates, are allowed to vote.
1
I think this piece pretty much emphasizes the fact that the NYT and Sulzberger have little interest in the news, and every interest in being anti-Trump, pro-open borders, and pro-identity politics. What a shabby position to come down to.
4
The Trump Coalition is happy. They are white and Christian (Christian in name only). Trump is white but is about as Christian as a bag of hammers. It's just that Trump will install judges who will do their level best to keep this country as white and as Christian as possible. That's all the Trump Coalition cares about.
12
The white man without a college degree.
He was probably ticked off at being referred to as a deplorable by Hillary Clinton and described as clinging to his guns and his religion by Barack Obama. He's not too fond of Nancy Pelosi either.
And therein lies the rub. Both Barack and Hillary were "minority" candidates. If the Dems next candidate is a white man, he will pick up Republican votes simply by virtue of being so.
3
Obama won a lot of the white working class votes. look at the electoral map. NYtimes has a detailed one. In Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin especially (to some degree Ohio) there were many precincts which voted for Obama in 2008 and 12 , but flipped over to Trump in 2016.
1
Yes because many of these people want a job and opportunity, not a government program. Obama was not seen as delivering these things, and Trump was.
This interpretation of responses to a questionnaire, called ‘data’ by NYT, ploughs home two false equivalencies the Left wishes were true. First, that a college degree equals smarter and second, that white and male equals the past. Obtaining a degree at most all US colleges and universities is simply a “re-education” or indoctrination in precisely those two false equivalencies. Real life then slowly comes into play for degree holders, some of whom re-discover the falsity, some of whom double down on it to explain their troubles. Can you guess who is who?
4
Don't worry be happy. As long as you believe the lies that Donald Trump is telling us America has never been greater. That is the thing about being conned, you have to deny reality and choose to believe the lies.
Unfortunately for these Trump supporters, the lie behind the con is always revealed in the end and reality will hit them square in the face.
2
It's so incredibly obvious: Republicans have been, and will continue to do anything possible to prevent Americans from getting a college education. They don't want people to be well-educated, because well-educated people tend to vote for Democrats! So, let's starve the universities by continuing to lower taxes, so they have to continue raising tuition, so fewer people can afford to get an education. The Republicans in Congress have put their party in front of everything else. They'll never get my vote again!
14
Really??? My Republican run state has free college including trade education for anybody smart enough to use it. We are for educated people.
Yes, what Tennessee has done with free community college is commendable. In my Republican run state home state, our situation is a little different. Our Republican leaders believe that schools don't need much to educate kids so they have been slowly starving our public education system for years while at the same time looking to give private (parochial) schools a hand-up.
1
Lack of education for white, black or brown is dangerous for any country. Most of these Trump voters are white and do not have college education or in other words they do not have real education. They are not enlightened and have narrow vision. They are fearful. They have lot worries. Now in Trump, they found hope . He is like a prophet to them. Trump is their savior cult figure. Nobody should look for logic behind it. These white voters are emotional for Trump. They judge him by heart not by brain.
17
This country elected FDR four times when the rate of schooling was even lower than it is now. The problem is not lack of formal education, it's lack of character education.
5
I wonder how many Russians and paid actors if any are in the Trump coalition?
5
About the same number of bomb throwing violent socialists as in the Bernie coalition. At least the Russians are intelligent and know how to code. ;-l
If you don't understand the Trump supporter, just listen to Hannity, LImbaugh, Coulter or any right-wing media. For years, they have stoked grievances against women, all legal or undocumented immigrants of color, and importantly, Democrats as the "enemy of the people". They see the demographics changing: women in the workplace rather at home. Highly educated people of color in positions of power. Their "white majority" power is getting harder and harder to hold onto. Their white Christian privilege is slipping away. So...what do they do? Elect Trump as their "savior".
11
Stop worrying about Trump supporters! We; the American people; is what matters. America does not stand for hate; racism; power and money. Vote out GOP to save America. Ray Sipe
7
The left-leaning media casts President Trumps supporters as uneducated and working class and Hillary Rodham Clinton supporters as highly educated, affluent, urban professionals. An interesting dichotomy that is based on nonsense. For example, Franklin, Tennessee, located in Williamson County, is among the top 10 most affluent, highly educated locations in the United States; it is represented by Marsha Blackburn in Congress and overwhelmingly voted for Donald Trump in 2016. This reality plays out across other areas across the United States of America, where the so-called Trump coalition is strong. The Trump coalition is strong and united, unlike the opposition which divided and fragmented by identity politics, and is why Donald J. Trump will triumph as the President of the United States of America now and hopefully forever. Thank you.
9
Forever ?
3
Trumpism is identity politics on steroids. One either identifies with Trump or not.
1
Southern Boy, you wrote, "Donald J. Trump will triumph as the President of the United States of America now and hopefully forever" Does that mean that you hope Trump will eliminate future elections and become dictator for life? Wow. Just wow! You Southern Boys are really something. You actually want to completely shred our Constitution just so your hero can destroy everything that made our nation great. Amazing!
2
All this points to the need to educate students and the public about how our government is supposed to work. Trump is not the judiciary or the legislative branch. He is the executive branch. Our founding fathers devised this system in order to provide checks and balances. Congress, for a number of years, has been ceding its powers to the executive branch when it shouldn't be. (The Obama years were an exception in that the GOP dominated Congress refused to work with Obama or for the American people.) Trump sees no problems in interfering with the judicial branch.
Yes, in the past presidents have overridden other branches and stepped on our civil rights. Lincoln did this during the Civil War. Nixon did with his enemies list and how he used the FBI. And we've had a dysfunctional or non-functioning government for so long that we wouldn't know what to do if it did work for us. That being said, it's time we understood that the 3 branches have reasons to exist and they do not include being bashed by Trump or, in the case of our elected representatives, being inaccessible to all but the people who voted for them.
3
the most over-analyzed group of people in recent memory- the Trump core (in this case, including the "independents' or disenfranchised Democrats who broke for Mr Trump in 2016). Why the hand-wringing, the statistical research that massages Mr Trump's voter into a semblance of Mr Romney's or Mr (GW) Bush, and all driven by some ill-informed perceived need by the NYT that the rest of the USA need to "know" these people, what makes them tick, and vote as they do.
NYT- you continue to look for grey where the world is black and white, nuance where the truth (or lack of it) is monolithic.
1
Here I am on the Left Coast, hypereducated and tickled pink with our President’s energy and initiatives!
4
Your are the same as the George W. Bush supporters were so supportive and excited when the housing market was in full swing from 2004-2007. We know were that led and it will happen again and much worse this time. Just wish we could skip ahead to another Democrat taking office to fix the mess this Republican economic voodoo is resulting in.
1
I love the Nytimes. But this is a really bad article. You should stop antagonizing Trump' s supporters. All these charts and questions. What is the purpose of that? After that disastrous 2016 election coverage those make no sense anymore.
In my humble opinion Trump won the election mainly for one reason:
During the Obama administration the Democratic party moved from the center to left (and now is going toward the extreme left with Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez). This move created a vacuum which later would be filled by Trump.
In 2009 democrats had the executive and Congress. In 2016 they had nothing.
In 2018 the republicans will keep control of the Senate and house of representatives because the Democratic party sees Trump' s supporters the same way as this article does.
5
Fernando you are entitled to your opinion but where are the statistics to back it up?
2
B. Rothman. Thanks for your comment. I have no statistics but I started to understand Trumpism. Why do you think all republicans are now backing him up (even the one who used to fearfully criticized him )? If you are refereeing to the statistics obtained from polls I have one thing to say: polls statistics as beauty are in the eyes of the beholders.
Interesting as these statistics are, what they fail to highlight is that Trump's base of support was never white working class voters, although those gave him the edge in three key states.
Trump's base has an average family income of something like $75,000, triple the Federal poverty level. They are at the low end of middle class. These are the people who nearly put Sarah Palin in the White House. They are the ones who screamed "you lie!" at President Obama. They are the people Thomas Franks tried to diagnose in "What's the Matter with Kansas?" These are the same people who carried signs at anti-Obamacare rallies saying "Keep your government hands off my Medicare!" Their main source of information is Fox News, and consequently they are 15% less well-informed than folks who don't follow any news source at all. They are the Tea Party, even though they no longer call themselves that.
They are aggrieved whites. They have been tuning in to Rush Limbaugh or some other right-wing radio shock-jock since Donald Trump was practically in diapers. Why are they so aggrieved? Most likely because they see the demographic change that is going to turn their white-majority into a minority, which is why immigration is the issue that most riles them up, as Trump so cannily tuned into.
The one and only antidote to the power-grab that has these hateful xenophobes currently in charge is a massive voter surge in November.
11
Yes. There are other studies that seem that many Trump voters are motivated by fear. The immigration issue plays big with them.
The Democrats do not have a credible vision of the future people actually believe will make their lives better. Pres. Trump does, as does his endorsed candidates.
4
Really? Where's that wonderful health care Trump promised? What about the great infrastructure projects?
11
You got that entirely wrong. The difference is that the Democrats celebrate diversity and are talking to minorities and the GOP is talking to Whites who see a rising population of blacks, browns and Hispanics taking their jobs and using their tax money for their health care, welfare and education. Trump has put it all on the table, it's about race.
7
The future Trump sees is his legacy in bright neon lights. The future he sees is how he, his family and cronies will benefit from his presidency.
Those actions you may believe will make our lives better are fallacies. The tax reform for you and I-expire in 2025. The promised healthcare-where is the plan?
Should Trump roll back environmental protections and our air and water again become polluted will you still champion Trump.
What will be the impact of the tariffs be on your future economic plan, you know, auto and appliance purchases, to name the top two.
The endorsement of those candidates is not for vision of who will make lives better but who will support the inane and insane policies envisioned by Trump.
No, the Democrats may have no vision, but, Trump's vision is to enact as much damage on this country that he can-in the name of Trump and he alone can fix it.
8
Everyone defines "Happiness" with different measurements. Happy to have steady work and happy to see the "political establishment" in chaos are different things entirely. Trump still connects with many voters because he's an extension of them - not the usual ineffective, soundbite seeking politicians in Washington now. They might as well be from Mars.
Look Dems, just run a better candidate in '20. Call John Kasich, ask him to run as a democrat, and bingo, you have the White House.
The Economist noted recently that Trump won the Electoral College in 2016 by an extremely narrow margin of 80,000 votes in three rust belt states. That meant Russian hackers and influence peddlers only needed to flip .003% of Democratic votes to Republican. Without Russian interference, or even with it in this year's election, it will be very easy to flip those votes back to Democratic given the disenchantment of women, farmers, minorities, free traders and Republicans who don't like Trump's cosy relationship with Putin and his hostility to our traditional European allies.
7
Agree with your conclusion but I suspect the Mueller report will demonstrate the Russian bots were working equally hard to flip disenchanted Dems to Jill Stein. It worked - if you look at the stats in the critical states 3 states the fringe vote for Stein turned out to be decisive.
Here in PA, there are many Trump supporters and mostly they are very happy to have voted for him. Reasons:
1) Appointment of socially conservative judicary
2) De-regulation meant to help businesses
3) The tax cuts will ultimately force smaller government
4) China is stealing our technologies and jobs
These transcend education levels, race or sex. I think trying to characterize Trump voters along those lines misses the point. Many people support these four ideologies and are willing to put up the the shenanigans of the president because they are getting what they believe is best for the country.
8
You forgot one of the most important for Trump voters, anti-immigration. They see a rising population of blacks, browns and Hispanics. They see these people taking jobs and using our tax money for their health care, welfare and education. They see the white race becoming a minority. They are scared of the the future but see Trump as their only hope. Shenanigans or not, they believe in him and will stick with him.
1
Which regulations are they most happy about getting rid of? The ones that ensure the safety of their air and water or perhaps their medications? Can you name three of those regulations?
8
Please name one successful industrialized country that governs by small government, low tax, low regulation policies. None exists. The simplified reason is that the power vacuum at the top is filled by the powerful rich who govern for themselves ahead of the country's interest, and certainly ahead of the interest of the majority of the population. So the population rejects this eventually in some form or the country devolves to something like a banana republic, or worse, like Somolia.
Trump has been great for the economy. this is what will get him reelected. I've never voted republican but probably will vote Trump because the DNC is so corrupt and I doubt I'll have any interest in their latest puppet.
The so called racist working class voted Obama and turned to Trump because Obama was a globalist and providing for your family actually means something. I make 110,000 a year under both presidents but I see what Trump has done for the average American and that matters.
Obama's final GDP for the year was 1.6 percent. We were told this was the "new normal" and that we should be happy people in the third world are making more in the "global economy".
America said no thanks.
3
Every tax cut is followed by a sugar rush of newly infused money into the economy. Did the same thing for Geo. Bush . . . followed by a new, near Depression. Wait for the slump because it always comes, and this one will cost us more to get out of because of the tariffs.
10
Ari—on a quarterly basis, the GDP under Obama was at or over 3% eight times. I think the economy would have done better if the Republicans had been willing to enact significant infrastructure bills, but during the Obama years they claimed that would increase the deficit too much. So now that Trump is in office, they put in place a tax cut that will increase the deficit even more! And the tax cut for ordinary people is temporary but the cut for rich people is permanent. So far the GDP has been at 3% only one quarter. He has *not* been great for the economy!
2
The "Trump voter" is one of the mysteries of our time. Why would people continue to support an ignoramus/narcissist/buffoon who is clearly using them? I have never been comfortable impugning the intelligence of so many people, but it's hard to understand why no empirical data ever changes their mind. Why does it seem that infinite evidence that he is a disaster for us as individuals and a nation will have no discernible impact? Then it hit me: There is a logic that leads you back to supporting Trump no matter what! All you need do is accept a few simple premises and your support will be unwavering. And so as a public service to my fellow NYT readers, I present the "Trump tautology"™ and "Trump syllogism"™. Trump Tautology runs as follows. "I know Donald Trump is telling me the truth because I the sources I trust confirm it for me. I know which sources to trust because they are the ones that support Donald Trump." This works a lot of the time--just claim the "liberal media" isn't telling you the truth. But in the event that you need something stronger, the Trump syllogism should do the trick: "a: of any two choices, one should always select the best one even if it is less than an ideal, but non-existent third choice. b: no matter what Donald Trump says or does Hillary Clinton or some other Democrat or Rino would be worse." Just stick to those techniques and you can support Trump forever!
9
RESENTMENT powers a lot of truly ignorant and self-destroying votes. And Republicans have been geniuses at ginning up resentment and directing it towards government and Democrats. Remember, “The government is the problem?”
2
Because in the real word your first comments are incorrect, irrational, and a fantasy.
Another take: Perhaps we overestimate demographic factors and underestimate individual personality and life experience factors. We can look at Adorno's postwar model of the authoritarian personality or, for more recent pop culture, we can even look at juror evaluation in the TV drama, "Bull." So I would argue that voters, especially atypical ones, who continue to support Trump do so for reasons that are not completely explained by sociological analysis. In wonk terms, within-group differences matter as much as between-group differences.
4
Trump is doing exactly what he did in the run-up to Election Day in 2016. The media has got to STOP being dazzled by (and reporting on) every shiny thing this man dangles in front of their eyes. He is controlling the news cycle completely to his advantage. Ignore his ravings and focus on the Courts and Congress - that's where enormous and material damage is being done while we're being outraged by his traitorous behavior.
Please, Media - stop being played by this man. You're being conned as badly as his supporters at this point. Your and our outrage is oxygen to him. Time to cut him off.
And, frankly, I really don't care anymore about who they are - or why Trump voters vote the way they do. Trying to figure them out is an armchair exercise that we honestly don't have the time for. His base will stay his base. We get it. We don't understand it - and now, after all these months of his lunacy and degrading of American values - we understand it even less. We're not going to change their minds. So, let's stop psychoanalyzing his followers. It's a waste of time.
We have a lot of work to do in the next few months. America is battered and bloodied and on her knees right now. Be an American patriot this November. Stand up for your country. Democrats aren't perfect. But don't let perfect be the enemy of good in the upcoming midterm. There is so terribly much at stake.
9
Trump is a millenarian phenomenon. He could make the "Rapture" a self-fulfilling prophesy. Another trillion metric tons of fossil fuel CO2 and even more from burning forests and melting tundra could do it.
3
Why all the detailed analysis? Bah! The electoral college put him in office. He lost the popular vote...by a lot
13
Too many commenters seem to not the get real the desperation of many Americans. Desperation, as an emotion, has the ability to tangle up reason making rational decisions extremely difficult.
Many Americans are very angry about their economic depreciation, which psychologically lends itself to identity politics. Additionally, many Americans have been terribly educated (I am an educator--27 years) and seem incapable of comprehending what propaganda is and how it works, how opinions differ from facts, how 'false equivalencies' work and, most importantly, how their anger is being stoked by their Hater-in-Chief.
As a republic we are ultimately responsible for allowing our society to become ripe for the anarchy imbued by most citizens (reasonable) distrust of ALL politicians.
Vote in every election.
13
At some point the NYT is going to have to leave the "who, what, why" of the 2016 election behind and start to cover news again, can I get a timeline of when that might happen? There is an election fast approaching, there are policy issues that might need a bit of energy in coverage of them. There are still a lot of things going on in state races that are pretty interesting. Donald: Old News, he's a bit of a one hit wonder.
10
A "one hit wonder" perhaps. But a one hit wonder that is very busy destroying our nation. Don't you think that Trump's constant attacks on everything that helps the people or protects our land are important? I do. And I want to know what he and his horrible cabinet is up to. That actually IS news, you know.
4
The U.S. economy since the 1970s and BOTH partied are what roiled the lower and middle class into voting for Trump. Had Obama and Democrats not sold out the common working folk in the 2008+ economic collapse in favor of handing $trillion to Big Banking, Clinton would've won in a landslide.
Not if he’s the 2020 GOP nominee.
My Family and I are very happy. In fact everyone I know is Happy. The President is doing an outstanding job as our nations leader.
3
Thanks to President Obama!
3
I was a reluctant Trump voter. I'm college educated, white and female. I consider ed leaving the top of the ballot blank, but ended up voting for Trump. Am I happy? I don't agree with everything (tariffs, for example), but I'm more pleased with my vote than I ever have been in any election.
4
What do you like about Trump?
1
A closer look at the yougov polls shows that among those who approve of Trump the degree of approval is much weaker than the degree of disapproval among those disapprove. In other words, percentage of approval/disapproval aside, the level of disapproval is stronger than the level of approval. Hopefully, that will translate into turnout.
5
Two points: 1) reading across several of the tables and graphs, it appears that a major part of the Republican victory in 2016 was achieved by convincing many possible Clinton supporters to stay home rather than vote for her -- the product of 24 years of constant Republican attacks on her, exacerbated by her weak campaign; and 2) while the long-term demographic trends, and maybe even the voting population as it will exist in 2020, should be favorable to Trump opponents and to Democrats generally, the 2018 election is less than 3 months away, so will occur among the voting population as it exists now -- therefore, VOTE.
17
plus most the headlines about Clinton focused on emails while the Trump coverage was on his agenda. and the coverage of Sanders, particularly at the start, was almost non existantt.
2
Wow! When I read this analysis, two things jumped out. White lesser educated men voted for Obama, in 2008 and 2012. "Hope and Change". Then, white lesser educated men voted for Trump in 2016. "Make America Great Again".
If you consider how much better the economy is now, than when Obama was president, it seems like a good bet these guys will vote for Trump again.
Besides, how is it possible to convince someone to change political support to one of the Democrats, when Trump so clearly made their lives better?
And, for as long as I've been alive, this is the first time I ever heard the monthly jobs report did not meet expectations, because there were too few workers. Maybe during WWII, but not in my lifetime.
5
The economy is continuing to grow at the same steady pace it had under Obama, and Trump's latest growth numbers are still less than Obama's peak.
When Obama took office we were losing 800,000 jobs a month. He saved us. Come 2020, the numbers will be back there and we'll need a Democrat to save us again (happens all the time).
19
Obama inherited The Great Recession, brought about by GOP policies. Then, by any measure, the economy climbed from negative GDP to a stable positive GDP. It is a fact that the economy under Trump is better, but that ignores context. Trump and the GOP have done very little to actually improve the economy that was given to them. Born on third base, believing they hit a triple.
17
This is false. Obama's economy was anemic due to businesses taking a cautious outlook because of Obamacare and the administration's hostile regulatory regime. Anyone near business or industry knows that a lot changed in 2017, overwhelmingly for the better.
3
This is a really good analysis, that is consistent with why so many current GOP House seats are at risk per the Cook Political Report.
It's also interesting to see that Trump's numbers on less educated whites and lower income whites are similar to the mix for George W. Bush: "So oddly, a room full of Trump voters would be similar to a room full of George W. Bush voters, at least based on their race and education."
The Pew data shows that Clinton carried college-educated whites by 17%. This plus the data regarding women is why the GOP has a serious 2018 problem in the suburbs.
3
The President's/republicans' (they are the same) coalition is a unequivocal minority of the population that has already disappeared. (especially considering this administration only got power with 77,000 votes over 3 states and with the distinct possibility of help directly from a foreign power - Russia)
People voted selfishly for a tax cut which resulted in tax theft of 83% for the rich and corporations that is permanent, and 13% (meager) for the poor and middle class. (that will sunset).
This republican administration then turned around and imposed devastating and crushing new taxes (tariffs) that will directly affect the base to losing jabs and businesses.
The ''white'' backlash/nationalism is but a sliver of the electorate and is shrinking every day as simple demographics take over those numbers to make them moot in any further elections. Special elections and primaries are bearing that reality out as Progressives are winning (or coming very close to) in even deep red districts.
The blue wave is coming to wash away the republican swamp.
Why do we see so many articles analyzing the Trump coalition in minute detail, but no articles analyzing the Clinton coalition? She got almost 3 million more votes than Trump, and her supporters are certainly energized and actively involved in this November's election. But from what we read in the Times, one might believe no former Clinton supporters exist.
6
Understand, but there is a difference between Clinton supporters, progressives in general, and people who just do not like Trump. Might be hard to separate...
Ms Clinton is’nt POTUS.
1
That's exactly why an analysis is needed.
He did not get a majority of the vote, and his support is shrinking.
Register and vote. Help others register and vote.
8
The President's/republicans' (they are the same) coalition is a unequivocal minority of the population that has already disappeared. (especially considering this administration only got power with 77,000 votes over 3 states and with the distinct possibility of help directly from a foreign power - Russia)
People voted selfishly for a tax cut which resulted in tax theft of 83% for the rich and corporations that is permanent, and 13% (meager) for the poor and middle class. (that will sunset).
This republican administration then turned around and imposed devastating and crushing new taxes (tariffs) that will directly affect the base to losing jabs and businesses.
The ''white'' backlash/nationalism is but a sliver of the electorate and is shrinking every day as simple demographics take over those numbers to make them moot in any further elections. Special elections and primaries are bearing that reality out as Progressives are winning (or coming very close to) in even deep red districts.
The blue wave is coming to wash away the republican swamp.
10
I am seeing more in my paycheck, which is a pretty rare event. You might think that paltry, but it matters. What liberals forget is that we're not against employers, we're with them, not the chattering classes. The specter of white supremacy and Russia are myths that Democrats are clinging to as a security blanket and cudgel.
3
Percent chances of the United States remaining an important, reliable, and influential democracy if these voters continue to decide presidential elections: 0
1
This reminds me of my greatest weakness as a teacher: focussing on the least able, most disruptive students in the class, who though small in number percentage-wise get the most attention from me, warily keeping an eye on them while overlooking the vast majority of the class who are attentive, studious, looking to me to impart knowledge to them but seeing how they are just not important enough somehow to get my full and undivided attention. Sad.
6
Understanding the details of the uneducated and/or bigoted mind is not a worthy political goal. Educating and fighting bigotry is. You have to take a stand. This is not neutral territory. There's basic right and wrong in the air here. We must be better people than this, NOW.
7
Trump followers (largely evangelicals, christians) all make the same mistake. They all take the only real faculty we have, that distinguishes us from other primates, the faculty of reason, and the willingness to take any risk that reason demands of it, and they replace that with the idea that faith is a virtue.
We must disassociate the idea of faith from virtue. Expose it for what it is, a servile weakness, a refuge in cowardace, and a willingness to follow with credulity people who are in the highest degree unscroupulous.
1
Trump didn't win the election in 2016. He lost by 3 million votes. His party is losing supporters faster than kids running for free ice cream. The only way Trump can win in 2020 is if the Democrats shoot themselves in the foot and run more than one candidate in the general election like they did in 2016.
The old white men are dying off. They can't hold onto that power forever. Someday they will have to pass some of that power to their daughters.
16
He won in the only way that matters.
1
Sanders was an interloper intoxicated on dark money.
The vote that went to Jill Stein in three decisive states (MI, PA, WI) exceeded Trump's margin in those states. Jill Stein has some explaining to do with regard to web bots, Flynn, and the Russia Times.
1
When the reality strikes home that Trump's promises to help the common person will not come to fruition, or will have a short life, such as the Trump Tax Reform scam, will they still support Trump?
Lastly, it is confounding that so many people can be conned all at once.
7
Would be interesting to compare these demographics to the demographics of his reality show. Would probably be the same. The people did not vote a leader into office. They voted a media troll into office, and how they love the entertainment he provides.
13
How many of all these white people would have voted for Bernie?
Had he been on the ticket, he'd have pulled this 'white working class' to the Dems.
Bernie's entire program was designed around the pain he saw in this demographic, the very demographic that HRC utterly failed to address, & the one that ultimately was duped by the Don's bait/switch & now remain duped, like they were duped by Iraq to the bitter end.
Had Dems been an inclusive party instead of the rich dems vs. the worker-oriented wing, a coalition might've been had.
Should have been the Hillary/Bernie ticket (no offense to Tim Kaine).
But team Hillary was clearly comprised of elitist snobs who dismissed the Sanders supporters as 'Bernie bros'.
The coalition that could have won the heart of the USA does not reside in a classic-6 on the upper west side, nor in a 70th-floor penthouse overlooking Wall Street.
Now the USA, its Supreme Court, its 'heartland' & any effort by the USA to do its part for having started this fossil-fuel gluttony in the first place, all of it is lost for at least a generation.
We will have heat & hate in this nation for the foreseeable because Democrats were arrogant & out of touch.
Democrats will need to start over from scratch, as some are struggling against their entrenched elites to do. Good luck, see you in maybe 2028 when you get it together.
Obama did it all by himself, either come up with an exceptional star campaigner to do it all for you, or build a proper coalition.
3
Trump is a good man trying to help the country's populace and to protect it. He is expressive and people love it. He appears to have a rough style, people love it because we Americans all have a rough side to us. We are not the most sophisticated crowd. He works harder than any President I have seen. We notice. He is strong enough to counter the thugs in the rest of the world, we need that. He is more loved than the media, LGBT, anti whites, and the entitlement crowd realize. He will definitely win a second term and he will definitely win big in Nov 2018. I thank him for his hard work.
5
As an "entitled" person, I wish I could share your optimism. But, in my close to 70 years, thus enduring several administrations, I have never seen so many people conned as I have with the grifter.
One only look at his sordid history with his businesses (and failures), his treatment of contractors and employees, his bankruptcies. The pattern here is what you see is all for show and to garner praises from his "marks". And he is succeeding.
8
Trump and the GOP will bankrupt this country just like he has done to his own businesses.
You have even constructed a straw man out of Trump. What a fantasy land the US is.
Was this also done about President Obama's supporters. How can a President be re-elected when his policies were so hated by the American people. Was the election honest?
1
Even if America hated his policies (which is not true), they loved Obama as a president and a person. Although his popularity was less in the second term than the first, President Obama still had overwhelming support by the majority of American voters, so no--his election was not rigged. He continues to be beloved by Americans today. Why? Because he has intelligence, grace, dignity, commonsense, and actually cares about the country. None of those things can be said of Trump.
3
While I didn't vote for Trump, I can remember thinking what if he really get's into office has no time for golf, has no business entanglements and is an honest broker and uses his negotiating skills for the 'forgotten man'? Wow, I can't imagine being that naive ever again.
7
Imagine how naïve it was to vote for the man who refused to disclose his tax returns.
2
The problem with this is the underlying reasons for Trump's election lie in different facts.
1. A very large number of people who would declare they are not racists are. (Who is going to admit to being a racist?"
2. A large portion of people didn't vote since they despised both candidates. (Who knows what would happen with a different democratic candidate?"
3. Women who grew up in a Republican family tend to vote the way their father or husband vote. It's sad but true.
4. Many Republicans blame taxes and deficits on Democrats (Although both parties are big spenders and like large deficit spending Republicans shout from the rafters they are "FISCAL Conservatives." This is a myth.
5. There is more peer pressure in small rural areas to vote Republican.
6. The non-college white graduate doesn't realize Republicans have no agenda for helping them. But they associate with Republicans without recognizing their own plight.
7. Evangelicals don't really follow the teachings of Christ except for forgiveness on Sunday so they can do the same thing Monday thru Saturday. (Note their acceptance of Mr. Trump's lifelong unchristian behavior.)
These and a few more reasons are why Trump succeeded.
And now the incivility of Trump's behavior is applauded which leads to a formula. If you believe in incivility you therefore believe in the end of civilization. Without civility civilization fails.
Tweet that Mr. President.
9
Many despised one of the candidates because of her gender.
I had lunch with a Republican friend the other day. She is smart, highly educated and very successful. When the conversation got around to politics I asked her if she still supported Trump. She said she did. He has "shaken things up in Washington", "done exactly what he said he would do" and the it was "entertaining to watch him." She also agreed that he was a "disgusting human being." When I pressed on that point and noted how he had taken immigrant children away from their parents and locked them up. She said
"I am sure someone else did that and he didn't know about it until after it had happened." She also said she liked his immigration stance and didn't want "those people" in the country.
So liberals like me might like to think that Trump voters don't know any better -- but I think we are wrong. Somehow they look at the facts and come to a completely different conclusion than I do. That happens. What disturbs me the most is that even though she agreed he was "disgusting" -- she still supports him.
Hopefully there are enough voters out there who do care and make sure he is a one term President. The key is they have to vote.
34
Conservatives tend to hate all politicians, including our own. I've noticed that Democrats still love their heroes, and think if you just get the right people in, all will be better. Did you not hear people say they thought the Clintons were disgusting?
And I would also bet she mostly watches Fox News. She kind of sounds like a selfish bigot to me. Whatever your position on immigration, they are human beings, not “those people”. And she’s also very naive if she thinks Trump didn’t know about the separation of children from their parents, therefore I suspect she’s also not all that smart. But you're right, she sounds like a lot of Trump voters I know. They may have college degrees but they are not particularly well-informed or big critical thinkers.
What continues are his historically low approval ratings nationally and a daily carnival show as tiresome as Trump's disdain for a diverse America.
His administration's eye-popping corruption is a fire alarm fire.
It was never a populist revolt. Mark me as unconvinced angst and frustration brought this presidency. This negligent presidency-- turning Americans against a free and independent press, singling out citizens for criticism--with particular hostility to blacks and to women.
He's all about white resentment. While voting against its economic interests, his coalition must know his policies primarily benefit the wealthiest. As issues loom, the man enriching himself in office takes an 11-day “working vacation” while claiming the oval office was being renovated. Yet another lie.
5
Will there be a follow-up column about how broad and how happy the Democratic Party Coalition may be?
4
Older white males, especially working class, rightly feel resentment because they have gone backwards econonomicallly most of their working life. And the people who engineered this economic shift, in order to keep the dollars rolling their way needed to defect blame, and "the other" was easy, low cost, and even profitable, as some politicians, commentators, and political advisors turned cable TV producers discoveredSince the mid 1970s, Republican policies have robbed a least 2 generation of economic opportunities that built the U.S. into the world leader after WW2.
Since then, the U.S. has lost out to most of her first world nation counterparts in most of the important metrics. If it can recover, it will take at least another 2 generations to regain lost ground with her other first world countries.
1
The data shows that Mr. Trump's supporters defy the stereotypes.
The data is also excellent to understand the past.
As to whether that can predict or point to the future, I would think that the pundits would have learned their lesson.
Politics is fickle; it often defies not only the stereotypes, but also the data.
6
Especially when voting machines are so insecure that even the Russians can hack into them. James Scott, co-founder of the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Protection and an adviser to the U.S. government on voting security, says “certification” tests for electronic machines can’t trace malware that deletes itself after tampering with vote totals.
14 states' voting machines are highly vulnerable. How’d that happen? http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article207851784.html
2
I am tired of articles analyzing voters. From what I understand, a sizeable % of Americans did not vote at all. Why not publish more articles about who they are and why they did not vote rather than about people who voted otherwise? If a fraction of 2016 non-voters decided to vote Democrat, it would shift the elections likely. Also, they are easier to win over than people who already voted for Trump. Psychological studies show that people tend to be very stubborn about changing their minds and want to be consistent, especially if they have publicly stated or taken actions before. This is in spite of said actions harming them or being proven to be wrong.
24
I'm confused. Early in article it is stated that 33% of Trump's voters were white, non-college educated males. It also states in the first graphic that the total percentage of T's voters who white (both male and female) non-college educated voters was 63% (meaning 30% of the 63% were white women). Near the end of the article in the graphic dealing with 'changed sentiment toward T from his 2016 voters', the total percentage of male and female white non-college educated T voters is 38%M plus 33%W (i.e. 71%). How does that 71% figure track with the earlier suggested 63% figure? Thank you.
1
We need to start asking them: "What is it you really want to see happen in the country?" "10 years from now what would you hope would be different?" "If you, yourself could change ANYTHING what would your top ten list be?"
Let them talk it out. Let's hear it. Let's give them space to vocalize it. Give them a forum in the spotlight. A camera on them, and just ask them, absent of cross-talk, not in groups, but just one at a time in a comfortable setting with an earnest host that just opens up the opportunity for them to have the chance to educate us, the audience. No break to commercial. Give them all the time they need to enumerate and explain and just totally go into it. It's interesting when anyone talks for over a few minutes and they have to process their thoughts and move past initial defensive/attack mode. Let's let them talk it out, without prodding beyond what any therapist might do to gently and without judgement keep moving things forward. Would they do it? Would they be brave enough to own up to their desires? Are they proud enough to come out in the daylight about their goals? And if not, WHY not? For surely they fervently want what they want, so why must it remain a secret?
22
If "they" are Trump's core supporters - the white working class in places like Indiana, where I live - you won't get much except generalities - sometimes related to their loved ones, like "I want my grandkids to have a better life." That's about it.
Nothing about the recent trends among black and Hispanic voters. Recently, Trump seems to be attracting substantial numbers of male blue-collar workers from these groups. This could make up for losses among other groups.
4
It's interesting to me that Trump's F/M split was 47/53, compared to Clinton's 61/39, with a net difference of 6 vs 22.
I used to think that Trump was the more gender polarizing candidate, but appears it was actually Clinton. Her rhetoric effectively divided female and male voters, which seems like a consequence of focusing to heavily on gender identity politics.
6
The relative preferences don't tell you anything about which candidate was more polarizing. You could equally say Trump must have been more polarizing, because he lost so many women voters to Clinton.
2
How about reports on the majority of the US population that didn't vote for this man? We all know who they are and what they represent. Let's talk about those of us who are really forgotten.
95
Trump did four percentage points better with whites w/o a college degree than Romney. That's huge in a close election.
Hillary did a better job of getting Trump's people out to vote than she did of getting her own out to vote. Translation: white working folks had a bellyful of all things Clinton. While they were not "for" Obama in a big way, they didn't really hold him in contempt as they did Hillary.
10
It was reported this week that African American support for President Trump has grown from 9% in 2016 to 28%. These African Americans are living in a US economy that now has the lowest African American employment numbers in history, the same thing with Hispanics, Asians and women. They know in their hearts that Trump's policies are working because they feel it in their every day lives. You would think that leftists would be delighted by these numbers, instead they want the economy to fail to get rid of Trump and leave minorities as collateral damage.
8
"They know in their hearts that Trump's policies are working because they feel it in their every day lives"......But there are those pesky facts. The rate of improvement in the economy has not increased as compared to the rate of increase that occurred during Obama, while the budget deficit has exploded and will be more than $ 1 trillion dollars by 2020.
63
@Spitzer - Black blue-collar men did not care how many jobs there were for computer programmers, data analysts, and policy wonks during the Obama administration. They wanted to know where the jobs for guys like them were.
During the election, I asked some black guys folding towels in the gym for $10 a hour if they thought they might be able to get better jobs if there were no illegal immigrants. They considered it highly likely. It seems like they may have gotten their wish.
4
Where was this increase in support reported? I also don't think that the current policies are the reason why the economy is where it is now. In fact, the way things are going it is concerning that the economy may falter and there won't be the safety net of the past to help the most vulnerable. Also, the economy has never really helped the party of the president in midterms. At least not in recent times (past three administrations). We will be soon experiencing explicit negative effects of this administration's policies. The erratic nature of trade and defense with allies and the obvious toadying to Putin alone are more than a little concerning.
5
That there even IS a Trump coalition is baffling to me. Why do working class voters decide a bully who stiffs workers is a good idea? Why do business think a failed businessman would be good for them? Why do women thing a guy who would grope them AND their daughters would be good for women? The mental gymnastics required is mind-boggling. So, I really don't care how many of them there are or how happy they are. I just want all those who are NOT happy to vote, in 2018 and beyond.
144
Many of the things you don’t like about Trump I agree with Trump Improved the economy and reversed the decline of the militaryHe cares about veterans and all Americans as opposed to Obama who was a citizen of the world .I wish we could have Trump’s policies and Obama’s personal life.Obama will go down in history as the worst president in our modern time and Trump as a flowed but formative one.I voted for Obama when he ran first time but stayed home holding my nose from the stench of HRC and Trump In 2020 I would like to vote for a Democrat who will not destroy all that Trump accomplished
Please consider watching Bill Maher discussing the Koch brothers and their Brett Kavanaugh agenda with Duke University history professor Nancy MacLean. I was scared before...and now, I'm terrified. Watch out America...we are being distracted by trump's tweets while the Koch's hidden agenda is about to ruin us.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bill+maher+interview+nancy+...
22
I saw it... and you are right! I had heard some of her pts. made by others last yr. It is good and necc. to be reminded of the radical agenda they mean to implement.
@nancie from san diego: i share your deep concern
and keep saying: leave the distractor_in_chief alone.
focus on those who sell us out behind the scenes ...
@ Nancie
I saw that episode last Friday ... I have always said the arrogance of the Left will be their ultimate downfall - They are too busy yelling, screaming and protesting vogue, facebook issues while the silent right is usurping our Democracy. Hey Liberals! There's a lot more going on in your backyard than your organic compost pile! Please read up on the issues and fight smarter not harder!
1
Several commenters here ask how people with a college education voted for Mr. Trump. Notice that the writer, and the accompanying data, refer to a "college degree". Do not make the mistake of conflating a "college degree" with a "college education" or even an "education". They are not the same thing. I know many people, including family members, who have college degrees, but in my opinion, did not receive an education. This is what happens when you push the idea that "everybody should go to college".
27
I wish I could recommend this comment a hundred times.
I’ve spent more than a decade in academic circles, have kept up with the changes over the last two decades, interacted with many students through university-sponsored functions, and was partner to a university dean for a significant portion of that time. Most students are there to get “a piece of paper”, aren’t always the best and brightest, and lack any curiosity or innate spirit of inquiry beyond their narrow chosen field.
Because of those facts, I’m a big proponent of deep and extensive General Education requirements. If students and their similarly incurious enablers balk at the additional time needed to complete those requirements, they can leave the university environment and go to a junior college or vocational school more suited to their goals. University education is about developing the mind and exposing the spirit to a world far beyond that of an average American teenager. This country needs more truly university-educated citizens and universities need to get back to those basics.
The article also highlights the fact that society needs to deeply re-examine its definition of university education in light of the fact that any college-educated voter could even consider voting for someone as virulently anti-intellectual as Trump.
17
Well said. It is sad that many among those who have college degrees lack critical thinking and intellectual curiosity. They can easily be brainwashed, and that is what we are witnessing now.
I was thinking about this very point today. I know some college educated people who are colossally ignorant. Did you see that Jimmy Kimmel person on the street bit about naming any country on a map, EVEN the United States? So many people couldn’t name even one, not even our own—one woman, a college graduate, couldn’t even get a single continent right.
article makes perfect sense though. Just one point of caution one should never underestimate the strength of any enemy let alone the Trumpian philosophy of being able to throw anyone under the bus with ease after the job is done.
We do have a lot of folks who still believes that segregation is good, we do not need civil rights etc. these people are in position of power in Trump administration. When was the last time that we saw a newly elected President announcing a formation of a reelection committee and having it registered so that he can continue rallying his base throughout his tenure?
2018 may be very close because of this Trumpian technique. Democrats needs to be as united as posswible and should include the Progressive ideas of 'Medicare for All' etc in their election manifestos to ensure thatthe Progressives even if they were not the nominee of the party did not sit this one out in November. The Republicans are counting on the Democrats sitting this one out.
Trump may not be a Racist or a White Supremacist but he is using it for sure to his benefit.
6
The Times spends an inordinate amount of time analyzing Trump supporters. As a subscriber I'd really rather see more investigative journalism. We found out last night that the Chair of the House Intelligence Committee made a statement that his purpose in Congress is to make sure the President is insulated from repercussions from illegal activity. Please, for the sake of the nation, look into that and tell that story. What do legal scholars think of that statement? Given our system of checks and balances, what do the folks who are responsible for looking into ethics violations doing to follow up? With respect to yet another deep analysis of the backgrounds and motivations of folks that support Trump, I don't think these efforts contribute very much to our national dialogue. Frankly, I put it in the same category as what hair conditioner Kim Kardashian is using or what new creative venture Mario Lopez has in the works.
62
The big question for Nov. 2018 is who will vote and who will stay home / at work. This is what will decide the makeup of congress. Those who really hate trump will vote - those who love him maybe not so much.
8
I believe many men of all stripes could not bring themselves to vote for a woman. I hope many of these silly men have learned their lesson and will vote for the future of our democracy this time.
I also believe many Bernie voters could not hold their noses and vote for Hillary either. Not that they would ever admit it. So now they need to repent and vote for the future of our country.
Then we will see who is left to watch Fox and Trump and the rest of his small number of supporters.
18
I don’t pick the Democratic candidate but if she or he are for open borders,abolish ICE,salary for not working,weak military,for trade deficits,carrying NATO,not talking to Russia and North Korea not standing up to Iran I might hold my nose and vote Republican
We need to stop entertaining intellectual curiosity items about trump and hold him to account for doing everything from obstructing investigations to enriching himself by refusing to divest interests. His henchmen keep trying to normalize the abnormality of his behavior. Nothing about his time in office has been normal and nothing about him has changed. He is grossly incompetent and proves it daily. He is using the office to enrich himself and his spawn, and proves it daily.
32
4th paragraph, "What percent of Trump’s voters were white and did not have a college degree?". Answer "63%". Later in the story, "Just 33 percent of Mr. Trump’s supporters were white men without a college degree. " Which is it? 63% or 33%.
It sure is a puzzle, Rick. Do you think some of that 63% may have been women?
63% of all Trump supporters were white and without a college degree; 33% were white men without a college degree. The other 30% who were white and without a college degree were women, I assume.
It's both ... in other words, almost two-thirds of his voters were non-college-educated whites; and slightly over half of Trump voters were white, non-college-educated white men [33 percentage points out of 63 percentage points].
Well the apple doesn't fall too far from the Republican tree does it? The GOP always knew the racists were in their party. Reagan and both Bush's knew how to contain them. Trump on the other hand unleashed them and that genie ain't going back in the bottle anytime soon.
Shame on the establishment "non-racist" GOP for not denouncing such blatant bigotry from the start! Their impotence makes them just a culpable. They are the Swiss during World War II - and we all know what they did!
8
I'm surprised by how personal this has become for Trump voters. They see monsters where we see friends and neighbors. When undeniable facts are ignored and even doubted, things get dangerous. I would never attend a rally with people who only look like me (there is always a lone black face, very noticeable, by design) and yell childish slogans while looking on with menace toward members of the media for doing their job. What is happening to this nation? I can't condone putting children in cages (no "buts" here, please), branding all immigrants as criminals and speaking ill of California and so-called "elites" (whatever that means), believing in a shadowy enemy called the "state state" and espousing conspiracy theories. Intelligence and compassion, so lacking in Washington and much of the country, are very much needed.
13
Yes ... today, on facebook, a Trump supporting facebook "friend" [he had friended me via a facebook local history group] had the nerve to tell me that my opinion on kneeling at foot ball games didn't matter because I had never served in the military. Of course, what does having served in the military have to do with etiquette or protocol at some football game? I defriended him, of course, after telling him that we're supposed to listen to the opinions of all our friends.
I lived in both the bluest of blue America and the reddest of red America. Trump is diversion despite being very much a caricature of himself.
There are enough of the other side everywhere to make then a significant minority. Unfortunately the GOP is no longer a political party. Thirty eight years after the Gipper's election small government and low taxes is obviously poor preparation for a country that still believes in magic for a better future.
It is not Trump's fault he has been consuming the cult's kool-aid for too long and was able to take most GOP True Believers with him.
Democracy died under the too often drunk Yeltsin and the right wing religious leadership of Putin and his fellow oligarchs and I am now worried about getting my grandchildren out of America. Twenty years later Trump'America and Yeltsin's Russia present a stark image of sameness.
A week after Saudi Arabia an American surrogate wasted a year long campaign to convince the world it was not a brutal dictatorship and attacked Canada's ethics and values the world wonders, "which side are you on?".
6
Please, message me. I've never been polled in my life and always wondered who these people are or if they're really real, or what happened to Hilary's 90 percent chance of winning the '16 election according to this very paper. It's amusing to me that my sister who lives on the same street as me gets tons of polling packets as a registered Dem but I receive nothing. Do you want the truth or just a spin on it?
2
Meanwhile back at the ranch the EPA is being gutted, the CFPB is being dismantled, Dodd–Frank is being compromied, huge chunks of public lands are being sold off, and the FBI is being disemboweled.
35
So frustrating that the direction of this country is being driven by the least educated and most poorly informed.
96
Fox (Unreal) News gets a lot of credit. "Some aides, convinced that Trump puts more stock in what he sees on TV than in his own aides' advice, regularly phone prominent commentators and news hosts to provide talking points on everything from tax policy to Syria in hopes of influencing Trump. Similar strategies have also been embraced by foreign governments and outside groups trying to sway the president's thinking."....The FCC states: "rigging or slanting the news is a most heinous act against the public interest." Because it broadcasts over cable, Fox isn't held to the rules and regulations as legitimate news organizations broadcasting real news over public airwaves. In addition Fox News claims to be an entertainment medium, perhaps to save itself from civil penalties and government purview and liability."
https://www.quora.com/Is-Fox-News-registered-as-a-news-organization-with...
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/complaints-about-broadcast-journalism
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/trump-increasingly-weary-staffers-sta…
Now that you know that, go and inform them.
Over half of all eligible voters (some 100 million) didn't even bother to vote in 2016. And this is the consequence … a so- called president whose narcissism is legion, his solipsism unashamed, his hedonism uninhibited. Voter apathy is tragic and dangerous.
10
For the "Composition of Democratic Presidential Coalitions" the NY Times (or was it Pew? )differentiates between whites with/without a college degree, but lumps all non-whites together, regardless of degree. Why?
1
This is all well and good, but the bottom line is that Clinton won by ~3 million in the popular vote, but because of the oddity of the Electoral collage Trump is now the president*. it would be great if the Pew survey was large enough to break the sample down by state, then you could focus on the few states that really matter, like PA, OH, MI, etc., where had a few tens of thousands voted differently, we wouldn't have this idiot in the White House
45
When a so-called "election win" comes down to less than 78,000 votes cast in states with non-auditable voting methods and there's evidence of manipulation and voter suppression, we need to worry. More than a dozen states still use electronic voting machines, despite concerns that they are vulnerable to hacking or manipulation without a trace. "(Voting machines) can be attacked remotely by sophisticated attackers to make them lie about the election outcome," J. Alex Halderman, a professor of computer science at the University of Michigan, and a leading voice arguing for tightening election security, told NPR earlier this year. Yet our Republican-led Congress has taken inadequate measures and cynically voted down sufficient funds needed to secure our country's voting system(s)--even after U.S. intel agencies repeatedly point out our ongoing vulnerability to cybersecurity attacks.
Trump did not campaign in California NY or Mass that is where HRC racked up the popular vote.She visited all those states but not once Wisconsin Very bad political instincts.We are fortunate that she lost.
1
I have no idea what was going to happen. How many people guessed he'd win in 2016? I don't think many (and only moderate/indeps. really count for me). There are plain out and out Trump supporters who think he's great and just what we need. There are people who don't like him but voted for him b/c they thought HC was more unsuitable for the job than him. There are people who don't like him but voted for him b/c they couldn't stand the media's coverage of him. There are people who don't like him but voted for him because they can't stand political correctness more than they dislike him. And there are people who voted for him because they find the "resistance" or socialists worse. I sympathize with those in all but the first two groups, but not enough for me to vote for him, at least yet. We'll see as 11/2020 approaches what happens, like, will he be charged or impeached or not and if so, whether it was reasonable or not, will he run and who will the Ds run? It all makes a difference. I have a feeling I will continue my streak of not voting for president and I don't care if people think I'm wasting my vote. I think the parties' waste all our votes.
3
You want to REALLY know why Trump won? Apathy and displeasure with the Democratic Party nominee caused people to stay home in critical places.
8
Mtnman1963:
That may very well be true. For which those people should be ashamed because they, just as much as the Trump voters themselves, put Trump in office. Everyone needed to get out and vote and they didn't. Why? Because the better candidate who happened to be on the ticket was not THEIR guy? Sorry, but that's an intellectually lazy man's (or woman's) excuse. They had a choice - Trump or Hillary. And Hillary, a vastly more qualified and decent person and certainly no racist or bigot, was so distasteful to some that they didn't care that the openly racist, bigoted and most divisive candidate ever to hit the campaign trail might just win instead? The Green Party candidate, whose name I don't even remember, didn't stand a chance. It was Trump or Hillary. Period. Only one of them was going to win this. Hillary isn't to blame for Trump's win. But those who sat it out because they didn't like her enough? They surely are.
Enough with with all the demographic numbers crunching. My question is why? Why do each of these Trump-supporting groups want Trump as their (not my or all the American people) President?
What in the world do they see as Trump's positive features that will advance our country?
Would they vote for Trump again, and if so, why?
Is it they think Trump:
Will improve their personal income and job prospects?
Will make this country white again (if so, how?)?
Counters the trend toward advanced education & professionalism?
Appears strong and mean, which is just what this country/world needs?
Says exactly what I am thinking and feeling (if so, what is that?)??
I watch Fox News and they have the fairest and best judgment about politics?
Trump reflects the values of the Old Confederacy?
Trump is unpredictable and the most entertaining president we have ever had?
Trump gives the finger to know-it-all individuals & every group I hate?
I like to see people punished and hurt that I do not like or agree with?
I like Trump's truthfulness?
Trump is a great Christian?
I prefer violence and war to diplomacy and peace?
I don't like children, especially immigrant babies and children?
Do you consider yourself an optimistic and positive person or a pessimistic and an unhappy person?
Name the 3 major branches of the U.S. government and the job of each branch according to the Constitution.
??????
12
First of all I would like to give high five to the success of NYT in their increased digital subscription. It has attracted also international readers as well as the news media of millennials. Your piece is worth reading. Data driven. Well done. Donald has essentially slaughtered the Republican Party. It is the cult of Donald that permeates to all educational social and economic levels. I believe that it is the lack of civics that we are in this predicament.
10
None of this white resentment would be happening now if a large segment of conservative whites in this country had just decided in the 1960s that Civil Rights was a just cause, and in the 1970s that women were equal partners in society. Instead, they formed political strategies to consolidate power rather than share even a little of it, mostly based on religious belief and economic scare tactics. The truth is that they are hardly oppressed, it is just that they are being dragged kicking and screaming into the modern world and it's an ugly scene. I imagine they continue to resist because they know all too well how badly minorities and the disenfranchised fare in this country and since they are the architects of it, that's not a path they want to travel themselves.
201
@notfooled: i totally agree.
the civil rights movement was [still is] a just cause.
and people should ALL have happily rallied behind it.
IF YOU CARE, share fairly what's there.
and if you don't: bear the ugly consequences
of your selfish, destructive indifference ...
[millions of migrants, lost jobs & dead environment included.]
I have talked to several Trump voters who told me that they knew little or nothing about him other than he lived in New York City and was wealthy.
One woman told me "All I knew about him was that he is rich and is a successful businessman. I thought it might be good to have a businessman in the office."
She no longer has a favorable view of Donald.
12
Another Trump University graduate learns the hard way, Pat.
Thanks for the disturbing testimonial from a Low-Information Trump voter.
11
Interesting study. Please keep them coming! It somewhat verifies that the split in our politics is an educational split. It's not really an ideological split anymore because trump has no real ideology; there is no "trump theory" as there was conservative theory. Trump has insulted conservatives. He abhors anyone with intelligence, so the best way that he can handle them is to insult them or send them off on study errands to get them out of his way. The split is between trump believers and the educated population.
These statistics show college-educated support for trump, but when I've talked with these people, they are poor thinkers who parrot what trump and Fox News tell them. So it's as if there is a lack of education there. At any rate, to support trump is to believe his thousands of documented lies, with college degree or not.
But if the trumpkins, those with uncritical faith in trump, show up en masse in November, trump will have completely taken over the formerly named, "Republican Party". It will be the Trump Party, a party whose poorly educated voters are manipulated by trump politicians, Fox News, AMI tabloids, QAnon and the other lunatic Right Wing groups. Irresponsible G.O.P. congressmen like Devin Nunes are lining up for influential positions in the Trump Party. Republicans are leaving it, and trump voters don't care.
In the statistics in this penetrating article is embedded the possible destruction of our democracy.
27
It seems to me that one other factor will affect the mid-term vote -- Trump is not running himself. His base might well turn out to support him personally; it is less clear they will make the effort for other Republicans no matter how strongly they support Trump and his policies.
7
Does not some of this point to how disliked and mistrusted, HRC was as a candidate? How she was perceived was a reality, not just for those who voted for DJT, but for those who stayed home and didn't cast a ballot.
6
Yes, Sarcaspoly, the Republican Salem Witch Trial and Benghazi Bamboozle Trial worked like a charm.
That's what Grand Old Propaganda does for America; fleece people out of their wages, pensions, futures and realities so they can flush the nation down a fetid Trump Toilet.
Hillary had her issues, of course, but Trump is pure, pasteurized Snake Oil.
His fake Presidency will not end well.
There's no excuse for any American voting Daycare Donnie into the Oval Office.
156
Hillary was not a good candidate, and some people, maybe many, stayed home. A big mistake by Democrats. But this still doesn't explain why so many people voted for a sociopath and narcissist who discriminates against almost everyone and uses name-calling like a 5-year-old. Trump, very much unintelligent, has rounded up some very smart, but demented, individuals like Steve Bannon, Kris Kobach and Stephen Miller, just to name a few, to do his dirty work. It's like a cult.
11
Socrates, usually I agree mostly with your pre-blessed comments, but in this case you are parroting HRC talking points. I disliked her. I found her as warm as a mailbox. I never believed she truly held any core belief that was not focus group tested. I heard her lie on several occasions. I hate dynasties, and didn't want all the Clinton mess back again. I wrote in Amy Klobuchar, and I was not programmed by the Republicans to dislike this candidate.
5
The Term cargo cults was coined In the south Pacific after WWII following a form of worship of serviceman who will bring wealth and prosperity of Western goods to native people if they follow him. Trumps Base seems to be no different then these cults in that void of criticism, no matter how damaging, they wait for prosperity to materialize out of the ether simply if they believe in him. Trumps actions including tariffs and tax scams that affect his base directly seem to lead to worship more fervently. I wonder if in the far future his base will be labeled a cult if we as a democracy get the chance to tell about it? Only the lowest form of low would use the slogan MAGA as a scam.
32
The term you are looking for is Cognitive Dissonance. In the face of overwhelming evidence of trump's idiocy, they cannot abandon him without destroying their own worth.
7
like 'the music man' without the happy ending....
6
I mean, yes, this is interesting in a general way, and it will be useful for campaigners, but I find myself wondering how even a small percentage of people with a college education (or even a passing grade in a middle-school civics class) could have voted for such a proto-authoritarian Russophile in the first place. Yes, it's useful information, but does it make me care about these Trump voters who are now realizing that they were conned? Not in the least. You and everybody else who voted for this clown should have known better.
96
College-educated people generally have higher incomes, and people with higher incomes were more likely to support Trump, just like they supported other Republican candidates in the past. Surveys don't capture the wealthy all that well, which is why the top income category is $75K+.
Also the term "college-educated" covers a wide variety of people. Voters who attended Liberty University likely have fairly different attitudes from those who attended Washington and Lee or the University of Virginia.
16
It would be swell if the NYT would run articles every 4-6 weeks on the almost 66 Million non-racist-non-bigots who voted for Hillary Clinton; accompanied by graphs and charts and deep analysis... trying to understand "why".
How bout it?
154
I think your casting of the 66 million as non-racist and non-bigots is generous.
But, it would be interesting to see info on non-Trump voters.
4
Candlewick, you are going to have to realize at some point, continuing to talk about someone who is not the President is a lost cause. You may wish to continue to revel in her loss, but that just shows your aversion to what you have voted for.
3
@ Candlewick: Because admitting they were wrong about Hillary and Hillary voters may make their heads explode, lol. I'm guessing that everyone who had these vague feelings of dislike for her never really bothered to get to know her or her platform. I've seen her several times over the past two decades or so, first campaigning for Bill in 1996 for his second election run at my university's field house, second and third at her 2016 primary campaign rallies, and most recently, in my state's capitol for her "What Happened" book. She never came off as stiff or out-of-touch to me, and at the book signing, she was warm and gracious to every single one of us 1,000 people who came to see her on a raw, somewhat snowy winter day. All of us were enthused and excited to have gotten the tickets while we waited 3 hours in line, meeting new people who ranged in age from a Millennial and her mom, who was around my age in the beginning of the Gen X generation, and even a Boomer lady. Americans have become too gullible and too willing to listen to crackpots (Limbaugh/Jones), the Faux "News" channel, false stories planted on social media that get endlessly shared so they become "truth" instead of doing the research and learn what they need to know so they can use their critical thinking skills - a sadly retreating concept these days.
1
Here is my scorecard:
UP: Wages, job creation, border security, military funding, energy supplies, stock market, GNP!, NATO funding from Europe, National Pride.
DOWN: Taxes, food stamp needs, unemployment, illegal alien border crossings, ISIS, N. Korean missiles, energy costs, some wasteful spending.
Anyone care to dispute these statements, go ahead. Be happy you can. On CNN or MSNBC, they don't take comments because they don't want anyone calling them out on their lies.
Remember, "When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the losers."
That is why I have no problem having my President being called.......a homophobic, white supremacist, racist, women hating, deplorable, lying, draft dodging, bigot. He is none of those........well, maybe he has told a lie or two. But guess what. I like his scorecard..
MAGA
6
Real wages and job creation are marginally down from the last 18 months of the Obama administration; border security is unchanged. If you think that energy costs are down, you haven't been to a gas station recently. European funding of NATO is not affected by European internal spending on defense—which was done in response to the Obama administration's negotiations with them.
Some of your other "data" are simply opinions: to millions of Americans, the fact that military funding is up means that wasteful spending is up.
So you have an assortment of "alternative facts" and a bunch of trends (ISIS, unemployment, border crossings) essentially unchanged from 2016 on your side; plus the stock market, which has been flat for 6 months.
Oh yes, you also have an administration with more criminal convictions, resignations forced by ethical lapses, corruption, lies, divisive rhetoric, attacks on American institutions than any in our history. America's reputation is in tatters throughout the world (except Russia).
Your scorecard is upside-down.
21
Re: spending - Trump has added nearly $2 TRILLION to the national debt in under two years. You received no meaningful tax cut. 83% of that reckless, destructive tax cut went to corporations and the 1%. For them, the tax cuts are permanent. Your tax cut, alas, is not. Because they already got your gullible vote. And I hope you enjoyed being safe from the N. Korean missiles for the two weeks Trump assured you that they no longer existed. We know, of course, that Trump was played yet again....
23
What about our democracy?
4
It’s a very different story from the exit polls, which showed Mr. Trump winning college-educated white voters. There’s little doubt that the exit polls were wrong.
What if the exit polls were right, and the official count was wrong? Because however many ways there are to skin a cat, there are even more ways to stuff a ballot box (or rig a voting machine).
8
We now know that many Trump voters lied to pollsters. They didn't want to admit they intended to vote for candidate Trump.
5
The article keeps harping on whether voters are "warm" toward Trump. It doesn't consider how many voters held their noses and voted for Trump because they wanted him to do something in particular, such as appoint an anti-abortion judge to the Supreme Court. Once he carries out their wishes, they'll have no reason to keep supporting him.
8
"But the midterms could be decided by voters at the edge of Mr. Trump’s coalition and of the public's imagination: stereotype-defying female, college-educated or nonwhite Trump supporters, who are somewhat likelier to harbor reservations about the president."
Elections being decided by clueless people who, demonstrably, have no political instinct is a great and ongoing problem in America. Many of these clueless people are well educated.
7
The second question said 'estimate Trump's approval in March 2018' and the answer was his popularity at this point in time, 5 months later? Gee I got it wrong.
We need more conversations with willing-to-talk members of the Trump coalition who, as I have watched happen on TV are interviewed with questions that make them pause and think or at least go speechless for a few seconds. These individuals might be persuaded to change what they think, enough to oppose Trump. Or, they hunker down on a nasty, pseudo-reality which probably makes them unchangeable. How do these two groups break out?
7
For as much as Trump voters love him, trump opposition HATES him even more now.
Power up, people. Vote. at least.
38
To engage in this guessing game sans factual knowledge is part of the problem. People seem to not even know what intellectual honesty is never mind abiding by any standard of it.
1
Gee, doesn't this begin to resemble the same misleading, uninformed, completely-at-odds-with-reality contortions published on this and all other MSM outlets in the months before the victory of President Trump in 2016? Nice try, but it won't work this time, either.
4
If you would attempt to refute the article rather than run away from it, you might convince some people. Evidently, you could not.
5
@Pat,
This wasn't an attempt to refute or concur, but merely an observation that the same sense of false hope is already being built up by the left's media. There's nothing here to agree or disagree with, but if this were the kind of source I relied upon, I'd be hesitant after 2016 to read between the lines again.
Until Trump, the negative effects for blue-collar workers of past trade deals and ongoing illegal immigration—and globalization more broadly—were never too closely examined by elites. It may sound cynical to say, but this reconsideration of policy may owe more to white-collar workers now facing the same forces.
5
Is this accurate?
I answered "47%" for What percentage of Trump voters were white and not college educated. I was apparently wrong, the answer was 63%.
However, way down in the article, you write, "Just 33 percent of Mr. Trump’s supporters were white men without a college degree. A majority of Mr. Trump’s supporters defy the stereotype: They were either women, nonwhite or college graduates (or some combination of those).."
If the missing number in the article were white college educated "women," you should make it clear. I had to read it closely a couple of times and I am still unclear...
5
I was confused by the same thing and had to reread closely. Here are the two relevant statements:
"What percent of Trump’s voters were white and did not have a college degree?" "63%"
"Just 33 percent of Mr. Trump’s supporters were white men without a college degree. "
Of the 63% total, 33% must have been men and 30% women.
5
I concluded the same thing. Which means that the remaining 33%+/- are either college educated whites (men/women) or nonwhite (college and non-college educated).
There are reasons why Republican politicians are more than willing to destroy public school education (mainly by infusing religion), making higher education far more expensive (so that the shareholders of those universities make more money, lucrative/influential positions in Govt and private companies become more reserved for children from affluent families) and promoting religion in public policy.
There are credible data to show that Red states are poorer, more violent, attract low paying manufacturing jobs where exploitation and job security is worse. People in many states are not much interested in job creation data as most newly created jobs do not support living wages. Yet, those gun loving, uneducated or poorly educated (14% American adults can not read, 38% College graduates believe in fairy tales of 'creationism' and not science of evolution), poor American tend to support the party which is hell bent to keep those poor people that way so that the party bosses can enjoy electoral win and money associated with political power.
15
The word happy cannot be applied to Trump voters.
22
Interesting title. Are the voters who voted for Donald Trump truly a "Coalition"?
2
Like all these demographic studies, the most important thing continues to be left out...location. As the educated and nonwhites continue to move to the coastal cities and suburbs, they are diminishing their voting power in the Electoral College. It doesn't matter how small "Trump's Coalition" becomes, they all live in the "right" places, which will only further exacerbate the difference between the popular vote and the electoral college. So much for living in a Democracy.
8
"Rigged" indeed... according a recent piece in the Economist, for Democrats to take the House in November, they need to win at least 7% more popular vote!
5
Well, yes, agree, but it was not left out of the survey. (Did people skip the actual article and all those numbers at the bottom? Some of the comments expressing confusion make me think they did.)
If only humans would fit neatly and stay in their assigned boxes things would be so much more predictable.
The broad categories of gender, race, income, education, residence,.. miss the point that is most important. We talk about people, we don't talk to people anymore.
To be sure, both parties have tried to push the citizens into fixed boxes and keep them there as though they owned those particular voters. Neither side actually listens to people, tries to learn what they want, what their concerns are, all they do is tell them that "We have the solution custom made for you" even if the solution is dictated by the big campaign donors.
Trump is a master manipulator of emotions. That is where he worked, and is still working. Yes, some of his antics have soured some who voted for him but still both parties are out their pitching their solutions and never actually listening to the voters. Trump, at least, gives the pretense of listening because that is the manipulators greatest tool - the impression of being on your side, knowing your pain, and able to solve your problems.
When Hillary ran for the Senate, she actually listened to the people of NY and that got their attention. When she ran for POTUS she stopped listening and just offered the same-old DNC propaganda.
Trump makes you think he is on your side that he is actually listening, even when he isn't. He is the ultimate salesman.
6
You say salesman; most say con artist. Remember, Secretary Clinton lost the Electoral College, but did win the popular vote by millions. It isn't that people didn't like her; it is that the people who liked her lived in the wrong places.
5
Just visited people who voted for Trump and live in rural areas. What they have in common besides being white? Devotion to Fox (Un) News watching and alt right sources on the Internet.
According to the FCC, broadcasters may not intentionally distort the news. The FCC states: "rigging or slanting the news is a most heinous act against the public interest." Because it broadcasts over cable, Fox isn't held to the rules and regulations as legitimate news organizations broadcasting real news over public airwaves. In addition Fox News claims to be an entertainment medium, perhaps to save itself from civil penalties and government purview and liability.
https://www.quora.com/Is-Fox-News-registered-as-a-news-organization-with...
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/complaints-about-broadcast-journalism
Good analysis here
Psychiatrist: Trump Mental Health Urgently Deteriorating
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfnV4B7Fk7Y
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Just about every medical facility I've visited in the last ten years has a TV in the lobby. I'd say 99% have Fox News on. Same thing with gas stations pumps. It's obnoxious.
66
The vast majority of televisions in US tech companies are tuned to CNN. The majority of employees in these companies are self-described liberals.
1
Yes, but we have visited many hotels who no longer keep Fox on their TV sets. One manager told me that it was causing too many arguments; now they keep the Weather Channel on.
3
We need to keep talking about what people think the other side's voters are like. We need to keep talking and studying what each side's voters think and want. We need to talk about why voters have left both parties and why unaffiliated independent voters, as a label, are equal tp the voters of either party.
We desperately need to talk about the disconnect between establishment politicians and voters. And, yes, we need to stop using labels and insulting names and try to understand how we got to this very low point.
Last election, notwithstanding Russian interference, Fox News propaganda, establishment propaganda, was also a voter revolt by abstention.
Will those voters abstain again? If not, what has changed?
---
Voter revolt: Lessons from 2016
https://www.rimaregas.com/2016/11/27/silent-class-revolt-most-democrats-...
8
I can't help but think it is beginning to look like Russia under Yeltsin. Those in the know understood democracy was failing because Yeltsin was seldom resolute and all too often intoxicated and Putin and his oligarchs seized the opportunity to join the Global financial elite. Even being the world's largest nation, having incredible resources, an educated population and a powerful military could help prevent Russia's economy shrink to the size of Belgium's.
From this side of the border it looks like time to start thinking about a wall to secure the world's longest undefended border.
I wonder if the verbiage exiting Elon Musk's mouth is a prelude of his moving back to Canada or even perhaps even back to South Africa.
9
I'm against everything Trump says and does, and extremely progressive.
I also understand what is happening.
I know it will be a long fight and trust my fellow citizens.
I share your apprehensions but nauseated by the glib judgement and cheap humor. Perhaps you always felt this superiority. I'm sick of hearing it.
3
So, you are a Russian?
No I am a descendant of men and women who escaped Russia's pogroms and like our Minister of Global Affairs I hope the next President will tell Canadians he is our side and values and ethics are more important than trade and economic growth.
1
I failed the test miserably but am hoping my optimistic view of GOP disillusionment proves correct by November.
11
Hamid,
I can't help but think like all cults 38 years of steady decline in health education and the general welfare Republicans will continue to believe they didn't cut taxes enough and government was still too big and powerful.
I can't help but think back on the history I was taught that the Dunce Cap was reserved for those that believed their lying eyes instead of what they were told by Big Brother and the Holding Company.
3
Have you watched "Who is America"?
I understand who Trump voters are.
22
The core 40 percent of American voters, who almost blindly support Trump, roughly correlates to the same percentage of adults who deny evolution and believe that human being, in its present form, was created by God! These are the people who would believe just anything, any fairy tales and lies, if it's told by certain people &/or in a certain way. Everything else are "fare news" for them.
US is now the 2nd worst among 36 developed countries (only ahead of Turkey) in terms of percentage of college graduates (38%) denying evolution, worst in its own history.
Fate of American democracy started its decline mainly since Reagan Presidency, who started destroying public education (both school & higher education), besides being the central architect for crony capitalism in the US. Religion in education and public policy are inseparable now. Crony capitalism makes it far more deadly.
Now Atheists & Agnostic people make about 25% of US population, larger than even Evangelical (23%). Yet there is not a single Congressman to represent that huge population, while Evangelicals are the king makers and Trump the king.
It would take long and tedious process to reform our public education system and corporate governance. Till then, era of people like Trump would come quite often.
Remember those days when we used to think how low a President can go- during Bush era? Probably we are yet to see even worse GOP President than Trump.
105
How do you suppose someone so unaware of basic norms was able to pass 3 semesters of calculus and a number of difficult chemistry courses?
Re Public Education: recall that without fanfare religious fundamentalists made a big push, supported by the Koch Brothers, to get elected to boards of education. Once in, they pushed hard against the teaching of evolution, they were very into banning books, and were generally retrograde in their outlook. Whenever normal parents complained, they were made to look like kooky "libruls."
6
Actually, those core Trump voters (his "base") are about 20% of the american electorate, not 40%. He has a 40% approval rating, but that's not the same thing as his "base".
4
I've heard enough about Trump voters and their issues. What about the rest of us, the majority that did not vote for him.
453
hear! hear!
4
That is the issue that put Trump in the WH Carol. His voters were not interested in identity obsessed, never met a trade agreement, war, Wall Street banker, I did not like candidate like Hillary. Read my post.
Excellent analysis, wordy but worth the read.
All Trump voters are not traitors/bigots who want to see Putin or Hitler or Stalin run the country. Only a small fraction are.
Most of them are solid Americans who have legit concerns about issues like immigration, trade, Wall Street, foreign wars etc. that fell prey to an ego maniac demagogue.
Now is the time to educate them. The democrats should show they how Trump is against many of their values as Americans but also address the legit concerns of his voters.
Now please show the data on how many Black and Latino voters without a college degree or a high school degree vote Democrat in every election. Guarantee it's going to be much higher than the white data for Trump.
6
You "guarantee"? What if you're wrong? Tell us, Jake, what stakes we're playing for. The default, of course, is your mother's car.
2
And you desire this information be published as it relates to the Trump Coalition for what explicit reason?
Thank you.
3
If you're conclusion is that undereducated POC still make better decisions that their White counterparts, agreed!
6
quiz does not advance after second question
1
Trump voters are completely amoral and thoroughly lack a moral compass.
The idea of supporting such a demonstrably reckless Know-Nothing Snake Oiler and economically, morally and intellectual bankrupt professional political wrestling 'star' as the President of the United States only proves that a vast portion of Americans are truly deplorable and beyond salvation.
Heckuva' job, Republican Party.
Pachyderm Spongiform Encephalopathy - America's fatal brain disease.
These folks would rather be Russians than Democrats.
Sad.
199
Not nearly as sad as Americans who would rather see our enemies prevail instead of our President succeed.
3
Succeed in what??
-Dividing the country with all his hate filled speeches?
-making money off of the presidency?
- polluting the environment with his policies?
-Lying and getting away with all his lies?
-Diminishing people's trust in all the federal institutions that have kept Americans safe?
-Flouting the constitution and the rule of law when it is convenient to him?
For example, Don't you care how his environmental policies affect u and your children? Why, in god's name, would your want him to succeed in making policies that pollute your air and water?
12
GregP - I'm not sure how you missed it but Trump is hand in glove with our enemies.
10
Trump voters have drifted to a place where conviction overcomes reason. Fed a diet of zero sum false narratives, they react defensively. Their convictions are often genuine, the critical reasoning is lost. The biggest single example, Make America Great Again. By all measures the United States never lost her greatness. Liberals are coming to take your guns. We have more gun rights than we've ever had in history. Obama divided the nation, no! If these narratives are all you listen to, they are alarming! The are however false narratives, not true. The other tactic utilized by the forces that seek to manipulate Trump voters is the outrage game. Thousand of gang members are swarming over the southern boarder. Obama has a ISIS army in Mexico coming to enforce Sharia law, Hillary is running a child sex ring out of a pizza place in DC. Conviction has "trumped" reason. There is a hidden layer of self validation in this. It's way of feeling good about yourself. There are a set of righteous one liners that are repeated among the believer's like a self reinforcing mantra. It's a sad manipulative pattern. Vote for me and you will never be trampled by a wild elephant in Central Park! Wow, feeling safer now. I feel calmer, life is better! Conviction should never overcome reason in a free democratic society. When you give up the task of critical choice for the simplicity of just being told what's right, you are giving up freedom, not gaining it!
34
Much of this affect can be attributed to Fox (Un) News. Journalist Gabriel Sherman says the president and Fox News host Sean Hannity "speak almost daily, after Hannity's show, sometimes before, and sometimes for up to an hour a day." Hannity is Trump's propaganda-enabler-in-chief and now the morally-challenged seedy ex Fox head, Bill Shine, joins the WH staff. Fox News trolls in lies and media porn and needs to be shut down. Time to ratchet up boycotts of its advertisers.
https://www.npr.org/2018/07/14/628808587/fresh-air-weekend-trump-and-fox.....
83
As much as being "white men without a college degree" are the issues of race and patriarchal attitudes. I am an old white man, 70, but with an MBA. I know many old white guys that are also well educated but hold onto their fathers old European belief that women should stay home, make babies and let men run things. They resent women like Hillary Clinton. Thankfully most Millenials do not believe this with the possible exception of young, rural, under educated white guys. Vote in November, make things change. Let's make America great again and leave the dinosaurs in the swamp.
250
Amen. I'm married to a white man in his mid sixties. His father was sexist, racist and a big fan of Nixon.
My husband figured out early on that the best thing he could do was be the opposite of everything his father was and because of that I'm happily married to a wonderful, thoughtful, progressive man.
8
#MeToo
The Trump base is the Republican base. The midterm elections will be won by Democrats going to the polls to vote.
102
Yes, but that is a BIG stumbling block, getting Democratic voters out for mid-terms.
1
Wish I could be as confident as you regarding the midterms. Republicans are already starting to gin up their base to get out and vote based on democrats trying to impeach Trump.
I have been warning about this since Tom Steyer starting wasting his money on ads for impeachment. All it does is cause the republican base to circle the wagons ever tighter around Trump.
Democrats must have candidates and programs detailing what they are for. They must show how they will help working Americans.
1
Interesting article, but the data fails to point out what I also know about Trump voters. They're mostly racist, and all of them are extremely unwise. To have warm feelings about a narcissistic, serial adulterer who is obviously lying constantly, is to be incredibly ignorant.
Sorry but when it comes to Trump, I cannot see the other side's point of view as being valid. He's a bullying, ignorant, incompetent, train-wreck of a president, the worst we ever had. Anyone who supports him is supporting a would-be dictator, and thus they are the enemy of democracy, America, and me.
465
You may not like Trump and I agree he can be a bully and ignorant and has said some pretty bad things but in his time so far he has nowhere near been the worst president we've ever had. Now you're just not thinking logically.
2
Many (if not most?) of us agree with everything you state... the problem is his base either doesn't believe the news that is critical of Trump, or they are not getting the news. What can we do to ensure they are getting the "truthful" news about Trump? One quick suggestion: VIDEOS. Videos don't lie. Any video that demonstrates what a horrible human being Trump is (and there are many) should be widely shared on Social Media. We all have access to social media. Do your part and post, share and like these videos.
1
Your inability to see the other side's point of view is the basis for the division in the country that the left blames on Trump.
I don't want to know them.
Trump opened his presidential campaign howling about imaginary "Mexican rapists."
Voting for this nonsense is inexcusable.
281
I think the number of people who actually voted for Trump is inflated. Without a secure, transparent, fair and universal voting system -- we cannot trust our election process or results.
20
Any data on how religion plays into all this?
28
Interesting and useful. Please do something similar on Clinton voters.
6
Why? Clinton voters didn't get conned in the last election. We don't need to know how many of them are realizing their grave mistake.
6
"Why? Clinton voters didn't get conned in the last election. We don't need to know how many of them are realizing their grave mistake."
Because voting for Hillary Clinton was NOT a mistake; it was the smart choice for anyone really thinking about what effects their vote might have on the environment, the Supreme Court etc.
10
I think this article misses the point. What is important here cannot be easily determined; i.e. those that rate morality important in a leader and those that say the end justifies the means.
28
Agree. It doesn't matter if Trump supporters are "happy." They all complain, then shrug and support his policies, his cronies, the politicians he endorses and/or whichever Republican leads the ticket.
10
…big questions about whether they’ll be as helpful to Republicans in 2018 as they were to him in 2016….
Don’t think so, HRC was the catalyst. Trump, and the Republican controlled Congress with its subcommittees investigating her emails, and Benghazi ad nausea, it did have the desired effect. Republicans in the rural areas came out in droves. And the polls were absolutely positively wrong, HRC couldn’t
This November the best they can do is beat up on Pelosi, and she just doesn’t “resonate” like HRC. Besides Ms. Pelosi was instrumental in getting the ACA passed, and today that’s a big plus, unlike 2009.
But to me the most important pluses the Dems have, are quality candidates that think local, are running for every position from the local level all the way up to the House and Senate. And one more, though somewhat intangible, the Democrats are angry as all get out at this President and Republican Congress, with their tax cuts for the rich, tearing apart families seeking asylum, trying to ruin our progress with a cleaner environment, and cozying up to Russia.
49
The GOP specializes in is amassing power and subverting the will of the majority of voters and voting isn't enough. People need: to fight states that decertify legal voters by putting them on "nonactive voter lists” (OH, GA, etc.); Force Congress to hold public hearings about dark/foreign money from the Saudis, UAE, Russians—used to break our laws (NRA/Trump Campaign/2016 election); Fight voter ID rules that target poor, elderly, minority voters; Adequately fund districts to ensure enough polling sites, ballots, open hours, and working equipment for voters; Ensure by federal law that when people register or renew their drivers license they are automatically registered to vote; Reverse laws that make it illegal to mail in sealed ballots (AZ); Enable recount petitions to be filed and entered in court especially if vote tampering evidence is presented (MI, FL); Ensure every vote cast is counted as cast and there's a paper trail; Take Russian hacking validated by 17 U.S. intel agencies seriously and demand that Congress adequately protect the nation's voting systems; Prevent partisan Sec. of States running for office to count votes (Kris Kobach, KS, Karen Handel, GA). Retire electronic voting systems and vote counting software made and controlled by private manufacturers, and use a nationwide paper ballot system---counted in public as other advanced countries do. We need a voting rights and integrity commission to oversee uniform administration of the law.
6
I've been an American since birth. 50 years now. Not a day goes by without talk of more equality for black Americans, more equality for women, more equality for gay, lesbian and transgender Americans, more equality for Latin Americans and Asian Americans. Its in the news, in movies and television. And now, with the advent of social media, the drumbeat for equality in America has never been louder or more prevalent. If I was a white American male, educated or not, well-off or not, or whether my views were racially biased or not, I'd feel like I was under constant attack. So, in my mind, I'm not surprised by the support that Trump is receiving. For those people who have historically been privileged in America, equality must fee like oppression.
23
Bobby....I'm a white American male since birth, age 54, and I have no sense whatsoever that I'm 'under attack'.....but I also don't listen to hate radio and the White News Channel that much of Trump Nation listens to that organ-harvests their humanity and transmogrifies it into White Spite.
Civil rights are a beautiful thing, and the progression of American civil rights is in fact a great American story of a society learning to tolerate, accept and respect 'others'.
Those who resist this beautiful arc of civil rights are on the wrong side of humanity, history and human decency.
Sure we need stronger immigration laws and a better functioning government to administer immigration in a more controlled way, but you can bet your bottom dollar that Trump Nation and the Republican Party will refuse to pay for anything meaningful because that's their deadbeat style.
White history ain't pretty for the last 400 years; that's such a fact.
355
I’d maybe like to go back to Norway where my great-grandparents came from but I feel like that would be an imposition on Norwegians. Living out life here as a pariah is just the way it goes. The last thing this country needs is any more victims.
8
COnsidering "equality" a threat means you don't think you could compete on a level playing field. Both parties are like this. Democrats removed abortion from democratic control because they thought they would lose in a fair election. And since they still obsess over Roe vs Wade, they apprently still think they would lose.
4
Demographic data more important than issues. That seems odd with a polarizing figure like Trump, a class a irritant. Of course white men responded better to Trump's antics. Trump had the plutocrat and the populist angle. Hillary Clinton was not exciting to the voters although she got more of them than Trump.
17