This is what happens when we don’t have civics classes that teach people to thoroughly research the facts and data. They can fall into the radical trap either on the right or the left. Free speech is a double edged sword that must be handled very carefully - Trump and his machine are reckless with it.
7
The opinion of one of the people quoted in this article: "...the truth is to be trusted only if it comes from Mr. Trump." This is exactly what every dictator around the world has sought, to be the sole source of known reality so, that in the process, they can tell people what to believe and what to do. Once they have control of people's minds, they have control of people and can get away with anything they want, all the time.
10
This should be compulsory reading for Democrats as a whole, but especially those currently running for president. We need to understand not just what the Republicans think but how. And obvious from this piece it's not so much about content as it is about form and the emotions that stir people up.
2
A retired police officer at age 53. A guess: she is a member of a union that negotiated the many benefits she has, including the ability to retire at a young age. And who are some of the Republicans' favorite targets? Unions. This is another case of people voting against their better interests for illogical and irrational reasons. She has drunk the Kool-aid and there's no reasoning with someone like that. The poor man works so hard for us. Where? On the golf course? In his bedroom until 11:00 in the morning. Puleeze.
128
@C. Cole
People who believe Trump could do no wrong see and hear all the noise coming from the White House and misinterpret it for significant action and accomplishment. They don't pay attention to the details, like the fact that Trump ended the group on the National Security Council who were supposed to advise and help control a pandemic.
They don't care what the National Security Council is and they don't want to know. They just want to believe, most likely because it provides some sort of emotional and psychological comfort.
13
Every black, Hispanic, LGBTQ person she ever arrested, should file an immediate appeal of their case! She has just openly admitted how blatantly prejudice she is!
4
If the evil that is Donald Trump ever broke through these veiled eyes the weight of it would be overwhelming so they side with the lies to keep it at bay. They are marks of the oligarchs.
Such evil is scary so they choose not to comprehend. To eschew reality by stuffing your head into the sand is to embrace hatred and authoritarianism and the ultimate downfall of democracy.
Such cowardice does not deserve to get its way. May this sub-culture go down in history depicted as the lemmings that they are and may we say we didn't let them have their way, that we countered the fear, stupidity and evil and said no.
3
These ugly gatherings are NOT rallies! Stop calling them that.
They are “hate circuses”, similar to lynch mobs in earlier America, lead by a racist ringmaster who foments anger among his constituents by perpetually lying about a fantasy “deep state”, attacking anyone who is not white and conservative, and encouraging violence against anyone who has opposing viewpoints, which they all find disgustingly amusing.
They sole difference between Trump’s gatherings and lynch mobs is that no one has actually committed a violent act during or after one...yet
7
To quote a favorite conservative maxim at the sight of any sort of liberal/lefty protest, march, or gathering: "Don't these people have jobs?"
5
It's their aversion to your snobbery that drives some of them to Trump.
The commenters making the disparaging remarks about Ms D'Angelo come across as disconnected condescending snobs.
People have their reasons for doing what they do. Consciously or unconsciously.
Why would you look down on someone who votes for a different party than you do?
Why call them stupid, dumb, conned, clueless and other adjectives?
Do you use similar names for those who ..
Follow a different religion?
Have taste for different food or music than you do?
Have different views of what is moral or ethical than you do?
A condescending attitude is a great way to make enemies.
Perhaps, it's their aversion to your snobbishness that drives people like Ms. D'Angelo to Trump.
4
@Sasha There is no place in the news story where the reporter demeaned or looked down upon Ms. D’Angelo. Perhaps you are referring to some of the other commenters? Just read C.Cole’s comment that Ms.D’Angelo was able to retire in her early 50s due to belonging to a strong union and remember that Republicans are not supportive of unions. Many of Ms. D’Angelo’s comments about why she supports Mr. Trump are not based on facts but on Trump campaign propaganda, alas.
13
@Sasha
Calling someone who only believes what is on Fox or is spewed from Trump's blathering would indicate someone is clueless and has been conned. This woman and the vast majority of others who attend these events were in large part drawn to Trump because he "told it like it is", wasn't "politically correct", and he hurt the "snowflakes". The idea that those who don't agree with them should bite their tongues and be nice and gently pet them despite their blatant narrow-mindedness is unbelievable.
They more than deserve to have their shortcomings pointed out to them. That's precisely the dialogue they voted for.
12
@Sasha
This has nothing to do with different parties or different opinions This has to do with people who are anti-fact
This woman says she can’t see that trump has done anything wrong She is blind
14
‘He and his family have sacrificed a life of luxury for him to be president’? Whaat? I did not realize that unlimited access to Air Force One or the helicopters at Trump’s disposal qualify as impoverishment. The cost to run his private homes surely do not approach the annual $1.4 billion it costs to run the White House alone. Lifetime protection by the Secret Service and a State Funeral. International travel – at no cost to him or his extended family - luxurious meals cooked and baked by an executive chef and pastry chef and other staff, fine accommodation, access to a country home, armored cars, etc., not to speak of a pension is a SACRIFICE? As the adage goes, “There’s a sucker born every minute”, a phrase mistakenly ascribed to P.T. Barnum, another American showman. Trump, much like Barnum did, are masters of defrauding or exploiting people after gaining their trust, then utilizing their credulity, naïveté, vanity, irresponsibility and greed – otherwise known as confidence trickery. This man has not drained ‘the swamp’ as he boasted he would, he has revelled in wallowing in it more than any president in history.
5
All cults are self-inoculating. Questioning the Leader is seen as a test that must be passed by showing greater fidelity, not as an opportunity to think outside the cult-bubble.
So people like Ms. D'Angelo will never connect the dots between Trump's 16,000+ lies, his cruel and destructive policies, and the man himself.
They'll never see how he uses his followers to fondle his own ego--his only purpose. They'll never see themselves as his discardable tools and his victims.
Tragic all around.
5
Obama reduced the debt-Trump increased it. Obama produced 1.5 million more jobs then trump. Clinton and obama had more % stock increase. Millions have lost health care with trump. Farmers on billions of welfare and US families at least $1200 for tariff war costs.
135 million for golf.
Who cares! The rallies are fun and its the media making all these fake figures up.
7
@Richard Head Obama did not reduce the debt — the $s the government owes. He reduced the annual deficits — the difference between annual revenues & expenditures. Since that was never positive (more revenue than expenditures), the debt continued to increase.
Trump has had large deficits, and so sent the debt soaring. And this when the economy was strong and deficits should have been small, with debt as a % of GNP decreasing.
Does Ms. D'Angelo understand that the man she credits with "going through so much abuse" for America is the same man who charges the Secret Service $650 per room at Mar-a-lago every time he travels there with security staff?
Could she list even one reason she doesn't like Nancy Pelosi? Or one reason not to trust the news media?
If a candidate can't offer me more than a chance to share ownership of his enemies list, I need a better candidate.
10
Those silly rallies are a huge reason he will win. They found over 7000 ppl who didn’t vote in 2016. Times that by over 500 rallies and that’s a lot of hidden votes. I’m scared he’s gonna pull off a blowout in 2020. I wouldn’t put it past him to then say that mandate gives him the right to run for a third term. Very concerning for America and Americans who aren’t Trump supporters
4
"she has gone from someone who was raised politically independent to someone who now says she believes that the truth is to be trusted only if it comes from Mr. Trump."
As of Feb. 28, 2020 Trump has told 16,241 verifiable lies since becoming President. Yet tens of millions of Americans do not believe he has told a single lie. Tens of millions of Americans do not believe President Trump is capable of telling a lie.
This is an SOS situation for our democracy. This cannot continue yet no one dares speak up. Rubert Murdoch and Mark Zuckerberg are laughing all the way to bank. Freedom of speech they tell us.
5
When the corona virus starts spreading, we'll see if the Trump rallies start shrinking. Large gatherings raise the risk of transmission.
4
"Welcome to the camp...I guess you all know why you're here." Donny's Holiday Camp with Ms. D' as the modern day Sally Simpson. She doesn't exactly escape the show unscathed.
3
"Trump got a rough deal by inheriting Obama' national deficit."
But Trump increased the deficit.
"Trump had a lot on his plate."
I guess two ongoing wars, the worst recession since the great Depression, double-digit unemployment and all the automakers on the verge of bankruptcy are nothing compared to the hellscape
Trump walked into.
How can you even argue with logic like this? These people are not just in a bubble, they're in some kind of dream world.
2
“The last time I experienced such a patriotic push was 9/11,” Ms. D’Angelo said. “Apple pie. Baseball. Christmas. He really embodies the traditions we hold so dear.” Maybe to understand this mindset, I need to understand if those traditions have changed. How is Trump any role model or cheer leader for traditions "we hold so dear?" He is someone who is an expert at sowing division? Trump has lived a very superficial, gold plated existence where money and power were everything, has been married three times, has a long history of misogyny, by his own admission was a hands off dad and is a master manipulator. I still don't get the Merry Christmas thing, I have been a Christian my entire adult life and I never needed permission from the culture to say Merry Christmas and certainly not from someone like President Trump who is so antithetical to Christian values. Maybe the fact that so many who follow him bring this Christmas greeting thing up is indicative of how easily they were cowed before into not saying Merry Christmas and how easily they are manipulated by him now?
3
Ms. D'Angelo is sure Trump embodies all things America holds dear: "apple pie, baseball, Christmas." She says this although she exposes herself to saturation coverage of what Trump says and does. One constant of what Trump does when he appears before the faithful is to rally them with openly cruel and mocking attacks: on women, immigrants, the disabled, people of color, the poor; even US service members who don't meet Trump's approval because they were captured and held as prisoners of war.
The only logical conclusion to draw about what Ms. D'Angelo thinks Trump embodies is that cruelty for her is as American as apple pie and baseball and Christmas, and that a president who revels in cruelty and encourages his fans to do the same is not only admirable, but worthy of devotion.
8
"Trump campaign had taken traditional digital tactics in a new direction by spreading misinformation and news of the president’s latest political skirmish — basically, keeping supporters angry enough to vote." The electorate are being hoodwinked. They have absolutely no idea how pervasive and accurate your digital footprints is to manipulative behavior. The thoughts and beliefs you have in a sense are being manufactured by the Trump campaign for you to feel and act a certain way and ultimately vote for him. That goes against freedom and liberty, rather aligning with being controlled.
2
A lot of comments criticizing Ms. D'Angelo, but the article was about how the campaign is a data machine. I am guessing this is, in many ways, like the Sanders campaign. I would be interested in a similar review of his campaign. Are the democrats keeping up or is this just a Trump advantage?
2
"L.G.B.T.-friendly bathroom policies "
Do gays and lesbians need special bathroom policies?
1
These hatefests continue to be scary, but they now also look like Petri dish events. Enough people who truly believe every word out of His Heinous' mouth are probably doing nothing to protect themselves from the virus that Trump will undoubtedly blame on Hillary/Obama/Democrats. Their ignorance and fealty will ultimately leave them quite vulnerable to any virus that dares trespass over our formidable walls or through our airport security.
This may ultimately solve a lot of problems for America today.
4
interesting... rally attendees willingly hand over facts such as their name, phone, email, credit card and driver license... and in return they are given a word salad of lies, deceit, dishonesty and hyperbole. it's pretty evident trump supporters fail to see how unfair that exchange is... and that saddens me.
there is a multi-decade, factual public history of what a scoundrel trump was in business and life, yet they gleefully climb aboard anyway.
they're being taken for a ride by the grifter in chief, and by the time they realize they've been had it will be too late- probably for all of us.
11
Lots of folks with blinders on. A shame for our country and the world at large.
12
Rational, thoughtful people often think that politics is about facts. And it is, for them.
On the other hand, the politics of mass delusion obviously elected the current resident of the White House.
We don't need to answer that from the left with more delusion - and for the most part those to the left of all this misdirected anger don't.
But we do need to grapple with how the whipping up of anxiety, delusion, fear, and racism does motivate many, enough to tip the balance in favor of Trump in 2016.
On the left rests the Democratic Party, whose tendency to self-purge itself of the sort of enthusiasm that is so evident at Trump rallies is currently focused on bringing down the front-runner among those candidates seeking the party's nomination. Given recent editorials here in the Times, there seems to be a lot of energy going into figuring out how to curb their base's appetite for change.
While the Republican Party itself is largely clueless about anything but discouraging change, Trump has embraced the notion of change, while rejecting the fact of change. Everything about Trump is retro, seeking to bring back an idealized past that exists in the service of resistance to real change.
On such lies, Trump built victory.
Why are so many Dems so hot to kill the sort of factual enthusiasm that powers the campaigns of Sanders and Warren? You got me, but they must have an aversion to victory hiding in their portfolios. Unite or seek defeat by defying the will of the voters.
3
How is it patriotic to turn our backs on each other? How is it patriotic to believe a man who lies as regularly as the rest of us breathe?
13
"Ultimately, Ms. D’Angelo said, she takes bits and pieces from a variety of websites, crafting her own view of the news, but only believes it if it is confirmed by the president."
Only believes it if it is confirmed by the president? Checks in with QAnon? I'm sorry, but these are the words of someone in a cult.
Donald Trump has told thousands of demonstrable lies during his presidency. And yet this woman and so many like her will only believe the words of a proven liar. A proven liar who paints anyone who opposes him, which is over half of our country, as the enemy.
I don't care about apple pie. That is NOT patriotic.
And this is absolutely how fascism happens.
Americans, we need to come together, find our common ground, and break this spell before we cease to recognize ourselves entirely.
17
Do people attend to be “educated” or entertained? The group in the dazzlingly white background seem to be laughing much of the time. Just how bad does your prospects for your future have to be in order to keep people attending these things?
5
Trump supporters share one overwhelming trait - gullibility.
23
"And after the rally, she knew her marching orders."
Thank you Katie Rogers for the objective reporting. That's why we need the Times- for its unbiased journalism.
4
These people should know better. Tragically, they don't. This woman is doing a colossal disservice to her son.
At least it helps us understand how Hitler happened, although that doesn't do us much good at this point.
15
P T Barnum was correct, there is a sucker born every minute.
19
Lord help us.
11
And this is the enthusiasm and mix of money, entertainment, politics that many Democrats (apart from Bernie) can only dream about.
Trump's hit upon a winning recipe here; you have to hand it to the guy and realize why he's such a formidable opponent.
2
Trump must be proud, his rallies are reminiscent of some of the great ones in Italy and Germany in the 1930s. Truly inspiring to once again witness the rapt audiences responding to the tried and true propaganda tactics.
13
Excellent article that highlights and articulates facts I was dimly aware of. I don’t see how to counter this behavior and the clever exploitation of it. Even if reason prevails in the election, the dark forces have been unleashed and will pollute the environment far into the future.
10
“The last time I experienced such a patriotic push was 9/11,” Ms. D’Angelo said. “Apple pie. Baseball. Christmas. He really embodies the traditions we hold so dear.”
Really? This sort of person is what reason is up against.
I do at least agree with the unintended inference that one has to go back to 9/11 to find anything nearly as destructive as this president has been.
November 3.
10
Thanks for this real news, NYT! The Trump strategy is the establishment and refinement of "preference bubbles", beyond the filter bubbles we all live in. The torturous avoidance of truth in service of alternate realities hurts everyone, not just the ignorant victims of Trump rallies. I had to chuckle at being retired at 53 on a pension that is probably underfunded and founded in political favor long passed. Bad government being punished by it's beneficiaries...
4
I know people who are white, working class, Christian, unsophisticated politically, and fall for conspiracy theories about the U.S. government, who also can't believe that a mean-spirited person like Donald Trump is president. But they don't attend the rallies, hold up the signs, or buy the merchandise.
4
Her mind set like many others have been sharpened from decades of cultural indifference programming. The Mr. Nixon initiated the program, Mr. Reagan started the baking, Bush 43's VP & Staff redefined the program when they hosted a conservative only media table on the WH lawn. Since then fear of others upsetting a culture of patrimony has been firmly implanted. Which is amazing when you consider America has been diverse before it's "founding." There were different tribes of native Americans, French, British, Africans, Norwegians. Spaniards, Later joined by Chinese. This version of America posted by many on the right never existed except in Hollywood's telling.
3
At this stage in the last election Hillary was the odds on favorite and had enough money and resources to make it happen. Don't think that Donald has a magic formula that Hillary didn't have and that he is somehow going to do what Hillary couldn't.
I did not read this article. After over 3 years of this nightmare, what more can anyone possibly learn from these grievance-fests? Is any one any different than the others? Are any of the attendants less angry or more tolerant?
6
A potential upside to the Coronavirus - it could keep germaphobe Trump from attending large rallies where potential carriers are in attendance.
5
"...she has gone from someone who was raised politically independent to someone who now says she believes that the truth is to be trusted only if it comes from Mr. Trump."
Too bad he rarely tells it.
5
Whenever I read articles like this, describing and quoting Trump cultists (who seem to genuinely believe that, pre-Trump, people were not "allowed" to say Merry Christmas), I recall the many op-eds by people who urge us to reach out to, listen to, try to understand such people. However, Ms. D'Angelo confirms, once more, that it would be a waste of time. They are brainwashed and in need of remedial help, not reasoned argument.
7
I'd like to thank Ms. D'Angelo for speaking with the NYT. I know most of us are deeply unsettled by descriptions of Trump rallies, but we must keep lines of communication open. This article and others like it give us valuable insight into how the rallies operate, what people get out of them, and the enormous amounts of data that people are handing to the president's campaign.
7
It occurs to me that Trump staff members arrange rallies not only for campaign purposes but also apparently to boost the president's morale and keep him on an even keel. One need only to look back at the government shutdown and Trump's sequestering in the White House to see that he doesn't cope well without frequent exposure to carefully-arranged, adoring crowds. I wonder how he'll manage if a widespread coronavirus outbreak in the United States makes large public gatherings inadvisable. My guess is not well.
29
Where is Leni Riefenstahl to film these Nuremberg rallies, one of which was called "The Triumph of the Will?" A modern-day equivalent could be "The Triumph of Ignorance."
Maybe Ms. D'Angelo could join the Trump administration. She sure seems to have all of the qualifications needed.
44
Ignorance is bliss, and Ms. D'Angelo is in a swoon. There is no hope for her as willful ignorance is her security blanket. Her cultish adoration of and obedience to Trump is beyond sick, it is demented. Wrapping herself in Trump's lies and mantra of hatred and rage has both kept her warm and made her mentally ill. I can picture her and her husband cuddled together at home in their MAGA hats, waving their home-made TRUMP signs, watching Fox on TV and weeping with joy at the hatred pouring out of the screen. Trump will keep children with darker skin out of our country and in cages where they belong, and he will protect us from libtards who are stealing Christmas from us! Nothing will change her mind. Not reason or logic or truth. She wants no part of it. Her hatred and fear and blind obedience is what protects her.
66
Ignorance, they say, is bliss. I wonder how Mrs. D'Angelo will feel if she contracts the coronavirus and Don the Con can't save her. Or her police pension is cancelled because his incompetence finally tanks the economy.
27
Trump's recipe is borrowed from Roy Cohn—Trump's political mentor— who developed it during his career as grand inquisitor against the red menace.
15
willful and malign ignorance will be our downfall.
24
They look penned up to me. Chairs are out, lines inside cattle barriers are in.
Moo. Baaa.
20
@Guy Walker cattle barriers my be the new golden ticket.
1
“That,” she said, “was a release.”
And it was good for Trump too.
16
This is all about self-expression. Not about governance. Trump supporters are certainly allowed to feel whatever they feel but they should not be lulled into the notion that it will lead to anything that resembles clear-headed leadership.
12
Yes, a great article. An eyeopener for all those MAGA supporters, but even more so for all those on the other side. As distasteful as it is to admit it, this is democracy in action, not those who agree with us, but those who don't, who believe what they believe as the rest of us do also.
Democracy is very messy, not only for the country as a whole and between the parties, but inside the Democratic primaries. Yet it is the best form of government we have. Which means it can be made better. All the time.
Strangely, I have more faith in American democracy reading this account of those who support a president I consider as undemocratic as he could be.
5
Trump inspires some kind of a narcosis in people who are irritated and bewildered by how our government works ( or doesn't ). And being among thousands of others who share nearly religious idolatry towards this man at a time when economic uncertainty lurks and a mild disease is spreading with such ease must seem so refreshing. I'm kinda tempted myself.
4
Trump and his supporters isolate and bubble wrap themselves in a world where they can mutually denounce inconvenient facts and derail any discussion with pre-packaged emotional diatribes manufactured by their leader. That’s fine, by yourself on the internet or within the cocoon of a Trump rally, but when reality rears its head, there is nothing for these people or Mr Trump, but confusion and paralysis, ineffective ranting and blaming.
Trump has had few real crises to deal with, and those that he has had, he’s dealt poorly with. And now, with the coronavirus, as with the hurricane in Puerto Rico, Trump has no idea of what to do but manufacturer news and rant at others.
11
It’s sad that in America, with the greatest access to real information and freedom of thought and action, so many still want to be told where to go, what to think, and, most important, who to hate. That is what lifelong conman Trump has tapped into. Trump rallies are bread and circuses with a huge dollop of hate signifying the waning days of the American empire.
14
I hope articles like this will show Americans how important it is to vote against Trump. Cults cannot be allowed to run this country.
19
Human beings are so easily manipulated to act against their self interest and better instincts.
8
I’ve been to sea in small boats. I’ve been close to death in ocean storms. But the thing that scares me most in this world are humans whipped up at rallies, cult followers in frenzies.
88
@Scott Fordin totally agree you on the impact of crowd emotion on people's judgement. It can be a good thing if those presenting are authentic and communicate using humor and/or some form of compassionate identification--solidarity doesn't have to resort to Us v Them thinking.
4
Great article, thank you. It was very cool of Ms. D'Angelo to be so up front and honest about her feelings. I feel bad for the kid though growing up with that in his ear. Radicals on both sides need to chill out and realize that despite what we've been hearing, America is the best country to live in. What that calls for is not endless online activism, but going out, exploring & doing, into our country, physically, to cities and Nature and farm communities alike, and see this amazing country we have. Not just our people and culture, but our physical land, our national parks, our micro-breweries, you name it. It's remarkable how well-meaning, passionate people like Ms. D'Angelo get sucked into alternate realities, remorselessly grieving and over-reacting. I say "sucked in" intentionally because as this article shows, there are cunning political machines sowing and reaping good souls and whipping them up, turning them against thoughtful, lasting responses to the big issues that face us all.
64
@Dan Please run for president.
5
@Dan Quick! Go to a national park before they're all sold to monining and oil companies!
16
Ms. D’Angelo is retired with presumably a police union pension paid by taxpayers, in her early fifties. I, a member of the coastal “elite,” will have to work until I drop dead, especially after Trump raised our taxes to pay for the corporate tax reduction. Trump’s supporters are not the down-trodden.
17
"...she believes that the truth is to be trusted only if it comes from Mr. Trump."
In other words, she puts her trust in the last person who deserves trust. The Trump "movement" is a cult where rational thought does not exist. While Trump is no Hitler, the movement exhibits many similarities with the nazi movement in the 1930s, starting with personality cult. I still cannot believe that the USA has fallen for this empty man who revels in ignorance and cruelty. The "American Experiment" is blowing up; who knows where the pieces will fall, and on whom.
75
@Denis Pelletier Con men succeed because they make people believe things that aren't true. They don't have to get everyone--in fact they can do pretty well with a small percentage of people.
Trump is pulling off one of the biggest cons of all time. Let's hope that a majority of us can see through it.
4
Trump rallies operate at the nexus of pro/faux wrestling, cosplay, and the willful insanity of Dr. Strangelove.
42
Proud to be ignorant
Proud to be misinformed
Proud to hate
Proud to have a public pension and medical for life and despise the folks that pay for it
That’s not patriotic - it’s sad
135
Hmm...too bad this woman missed out on the chance to attend the now-defunct criminal enterprise known as Trump University. But, at least she got some fun merchandise for her money at the rally...
40
"A leap of faith that he's trying to do the right thing"? given his documented history of evading the draft, treatment of women, dismissing minorities, manipulating truth and refusing to pay his debtors. Indeed it is a leap of faith into an abyss of propaganda. Yes our families and our children have fought and died to maintain our freedoms but not him nor his family. Trump doesn't think he's with you; he's using you, collecting your data and begging for money. This is a man who degrades and demonizes those who question him. A man who bullies and jeers at people." Traditions we hold dear" aren't just "apple pie, baseball and Christmas" or having "cojones" it's being honest, fair, a place for refugees and a democracy. "Crafting her own view of the news" via social media... "if it's supported by the President or Fox News?" She's not looking for the truth; she's drinking the kool-aid. Somewhere somehow the messages "don't believe everything you hear" and "someone's behavior is how they tell you who they are" weren't picked up by this woman. This isn't a "rush or fun." This is how you lose everything our families have worked hard, defended in wars and died for. I am appalled at the level of blithe ignorance.
56
I cry Hypocrite. A 53 year old retired? I don't care you were cop... all work is hard, many jobs are dangerous. A good government pension yet you rail against the Gov. You Suckle off the government while claiming to be all in for Trumps care of the country while he bashes it. Geez.
You get your facts from multiple news outlets but you can't turn on CNN and instead watch Fox all night? Alternative facts that is.
As for done everything right? Some fun paraphrases and facts: The deficit is exploding, he/she is (enter childish nickname here) blah blah, there we good people on both sides in Charleston, they are rapists, Putin denied it strongly, the Kurd's can take care of themselves, we fell in love, a few soldiers got headaches, global warming is a hoax, i make no money being president, all those women are liars, 17000 flat out lies to the people he is supposed to lead, Iran will have Nukes sooner thank to you, NATO is (enter negative comment here). On it goes.
Dividing us with anger and grievances does not make for a great America or a great leader. Wake up and you'll see he is globally despised and is a destabilizing force on everything he touches.
81
Medical insurance for life, nice Ms. D’Angelo, thank your Union and the NJ taxpayers , and make sure to keep the government out of your socialized medical insurance
13
I know this is supposed to be about data mining, but this woman's incredible lack of knowledge, enjoyment of not just boorish but destructive behavior, and total determination to only listen to storylines that support her various unjustified grievances is just a sickening portrayal of spoiled ignorance and bragging jingoism. And she's way too typical.
73
The grim upside for the majority of Americans who'll be working until we drop to support 53-year-old retirees with publicly funded pensions: we have no time to attend Hate rallies.
84
To me this explains much: “it’s like a leap of faith for me knowing he’s trying to do the right thing.” ..."she believes that the truth is to be trusted only if it comes from Mr. Trump."
People make a conscience decision to cast aside reality and not think critically anymore.
27
Interesting that this woman agreed to be interviewed for a story by the New York Times. I thought all Trump supporters thought NYT was fake news?
46
God help us.
67
Ms D’Angelo sounds like a cult member. She loves her leader, bathes daily in negative and false propaganda for extended periods of time, while othering the very people who pay her pensions and medical benefits. Thats not patriotism....
103
I weep
29
To Ms D’Angelo democrats are villains for trying to implement policies that give every American the same medical benefits and job security she had as a civil worker. But in her mind us paying the taxes that fund her benefits makes us less American than she is- it’s very sad.
61
Hitler’s Reich Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels is alleged to have said that among the best jokes about democracy is its willingness to “give its enemies the means to destroy it.”
The Trump regime has proven itself massively effective at harnessing the pent up energy of large numbers of mobile, monied, disaffected people. The populace, imagining itself free to consume and choose, flocks to rallies, where Trump the Entertainer turns “democracy” into a story about himself as the Bringer of all Good Things. The crowd, gullible and searching for some harmless fun, responds in kind, embracing the Big Man who promises to return to them something they never had but always felt that they alone deserved, as the true and only representatives of “the American people.”
28
Very informative article. Chilling to think that 30-35% of our fellow citizens believe everything Trump says is the truth when the facts say otherwise. When factual information and data are dismissed, I don't see how we can come together for the common good.
147
I feel sorry for this woman that she is so empty that she needs to fill her life with the lies and hate of trump.
Even more sad is she seems to be passing her hate and ignorance on to her 14 year old son.
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These rallies have all the elements of the early German rallies for Hitler and they truly frighten me.
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Scampaign
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@Barbara K.: Simply brilliant!!
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The man has been a bloviating blowhard who only cares about himself his whole life! Have these people been living under a rock? As for “cojones”, is that what kept him out of the armed services? I thought it was “bone spurs”. Do they know that he went to grammar school in a limousine? Do they not understand how clueless and classless he is ? I’m starting to think that “deplorable” was a nice way of saying “Saint Jude Group”.
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"The Trump campaign is adept at rolling out new lines of merchandise, sometimes tailoring it to the latest social media outrage."
Wonder if the Trump merchandise line will be affected by the coronavirus effect on China's manufacturing sector. He may have to scale back this part of his money making machine.
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Very interesting how both sides see the other as evil, unpatriotic and misinformed.
It would be nice to have a uniting effect and sadly maybe only the Corona virus or something else like what's happening via global warming will bring us together again. We forget we have much more in common than what is highlighted in politics and the media.
This notion of "rugged individualism" in our country is fine and dandy until you're out of a job and middle aged. That's scary...first you point fingers at the people you're convinced cost you your job (thanks to one sided media outlets). Then hopefully they figure it out that they have been duped the entire time and that Socialistic ways aren't just serving Welfare Queens in some urban place but helping society as a whole.
Bottom line-We are the richest country and there is enough here for all to live a comfortable life. But we also have to care for more than ourself and realize we all bleed the same color. We are a community.
A uniter will promote a civilian or military service for young people that earns them credits toward college or training for a decent job (the trades for instance where we need more bodies). Just as important it will give them a sense of being an American and being part of something special.
Maybe we test run this model in a state first but we need to unite people again.
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This is so sad for our country. When did our citizens get so misguided? I want a hat that says "Make America Smart Again".
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@B.Smith
I don’t look good in hats so right after “it” got into office, I made a handbag for myself that says exactly that.
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" ... complained with a stranger about the rough deal Mr. Trump got by inheriting the Obama-era national deficit."
Typical.
trumpers don't know the difference between the national debt and the deficit. And don't know, or probably don't care that trump has increased the debt by 3 trillion and has a deficit over a trillion.
The headline as I read this mentions data, money, entertainment. Why doesn't it include the biggest aspect of trump's campaign and administration - LIES
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@Rick
Or that the national deficit Obama inherited came from W.
Don’t confuse the issue with facts, my mind is made up.
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@Rick
She said it in her interview - she and her husband get their news only from fox.
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Quite a challenge to maintain a viable democracy when its citizens are ignorant and mis/uninformed
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None so blind as those who will not see...
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These Trump supporters don’t have the ability to distinguish between basic fact and complete fiction. In the short term, there is nothing we can do about them. I look at them like I look at a psychotic patient, with a mix of fear and sadness.
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Some of these Trump people remind me of an old SNL skit about a Star Trek convention. Hundreds of Trekkies show up and William Shatner is the guest speaker. Shatner steps up to the podium and looks at all of the Trekkies in their costumes and says "Get a life, people."
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It seems to me people have no mind anymore. What happened to critical thinking in America? It went out of fashion?
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This is both frightening and daunting. True believers no matter what. It really seems like they believe their lives are in danger from anyone who is not white. And Trump does his best to amplify those fears.
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These people are in a cult. I don't know whether to fear them, feel sorry for them, or despise them, but they are not normal.
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Even Orwell never dreamed of this.
What have we done to ourselves.
-C
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If we don't try to understand "the other side" we will never make progress. This is difficult to read and I want to yell at her about how wrong she is... and that never accomplishes anything. Time to grow up and talk with people who's views are opposite our own.
PS: why does the Times refer to her "driver's license" when it's a Driver License in NJ and 48 other states?
1
Oh boy. This is a real eye-opener. Fascinating.
I have to admit that the rally photos made me chuckle. The people do not look happy. They look miserable and angry, and they paid good money for those feelings.
Could it be because they just shelled out $$$ for Trump merchandise and are listening to the same song that they hear over and over again from Trump, the Fox Friends, their narrow-focused social media networks? There is nothing new in Trumpville. Except maybe new slogans and new hats for sale.
And the merchandise sales tables are even more interesting. There you have rally-goers handing over credit cards and driver's licenses, and the collector giving that "thanks, sucker" smile.
Question for Trump enthusiasts:
When everyone you fear has been driven out, and all you have are those cherished American traditions of “Apple pie. Baseball. Christmas", who are you going to fear? What will motivate you?
Trump will be gone, playing golf in Florida with never a thought about you or anyone else who believed him. Agencies established to protect the health, safety, and environment of citizens will be gutted. The rich will be richer and the poor poorer.
It will be a bit late to look in the mirror and say "oops".
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You've made sorely needed information available to a broad audience of Trump rally non-attendees. Thanks so much! Chilling (and augmenting) picture of media-driven authoritarianism on the Far Right.
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