# "Where Trump's Support Endures" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 28, 2017, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-trumps-support-endures/802908 "2017-11-28T00:34:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-trumps-support-endures/802908/1 "2017-11-28T00:34:59Z")
This article from [The Week](http://theweek.com/articles/739277/where-trumps-support-endures) magazine will curl your hair. The reporter follows up with hardcore Trump supporters in Pennsylvania, mainly in Johnstown (my mother’s hometown). The upshot: they know Trump hasn’t been able to do the stuff he promised (build the wall, repeal/replace Obamacare, defund Planned Parenthood, bring back the steel industry), but they don’t blame him, and they will love him forever, no matter what he says or does. Period. > [@](#): > > …For them, it’s evidently not what he’s doing so much as it is the people he’s fighting. Trump is simply and unceasingly angry on their behalf, battling the people who vex them the worst — “obstructionist” Democrats, uncooperative establishment Republicans, the media, Black Lives Matter protesters, and NFL players (boy, oh boy, do they hate kneeling NFL players), whom they see as ungrateful, disrespectful millionaires. > > And they love him for this… > [@](#): > > …The 61-year-old Johnstown native proudly planted a Trump sign in the ground in front of his catering company. And nothing that’s happened in the past 12 months has lessened his enthusiasm for the man who so energized him. > > “Everybody I talk to,” he said, “realizes it’s not Trump who’s dragging his feet. Trump’s probably the most diligent, hardest-working president we’ve ever had in our lifetimes. It’s not like he sleeps in till noon and goes golfing every weekend, like the last president did.” > > I stopped him, informing him that, yes, Barack Obama liked to golf, but Trump in fact does golf a lot, too — more, in fact. > > Del Signore was surprised to hear this. “Does he?” he said. “Yes,” I said. > > He did not linger on this topic, smiling and changing the subject with a quip. “If I was married to his wife,” Del Signore said, “I don’t think I’d go anywhere.”… They HATE the millionaire, ingrate NFL players kneeling at games to protest “lack of equality,” and the article ends with a racial epithet that made me blink. You may need a stiff drink after reading this. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-trumps-support-endures/802908/2 "2017-11-28T00:49:48Z")
> [@](#): > > Next to Bala was a gray-haired man who told me he voted for Trump and was happy so far because “he’s kept his promises.” > > I asked which ones. “Border security.” But there’s no wall yet. “No fault of his,” the man said. What else? “Getting rid of ObamaCare.” But he hasn’t. “Well, he’s tried to.” As I recall, Trump campaigned as someone who could get difficult things done in Washington. “Trying” wasn’t the standard. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-trumps-support-endures/802908/3 "2017-11-28T00:52:38Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > As I recall, Trump campaigned as someone who could get difficult things done in Washington. “Trying” wasn’t the standard. His record doesn’t matter. They love him because he hates what they hate. (Or at least he pretends to.) ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-trumps-support-endures/802908/4 "2017-11-28T01:01:55Z")
Why can’t we all just admit Trump’s base are largely motivated by nativism and white nationalism? Why do we have to pretend they are motivated by economics or an indepth understanding of complex domestic and international policy? As long as Trump hates uppity blacks, latino immigrants and muslims, and he treats women like their only value is their appearance, his base will stand behind him. The fact that Trump is incompetent, a criminal, a sexual abuser, treasonous, unprofessional, etc. doesn’t matter to his base. As long as he supports nativism and white nationalism he will have a huge ground of support. Why do we have to pretend his base are better people than they actually are? That is a serious question. I’m tired of people pretending these people are motivated by economics because nobody wants to admit how fucked up America and Americans are. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-trumps-support-endures/802908/5 "2017-11-28T01:23:25Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Why can’t we all just admit Trump’s base are largely motivated by nativism and white nationalism? Why do we have to pretend they are motivated by economics or an indepth understanding of complex domestic and international policy? This is something [I said before](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=830138) as well. It seems that some people (in the media and elsewhere) will always try to find the most \*neutral-sounding \*explanation to explain a highly emotionally-charged subject, or find the most non-controversial reason to explain why a controversial thing happened. When Trump won, such people latched onto things like “economics” or “income inequality” or “wage stagnation” because such explanations are calmer-sounding. Maybe their motive is that they want to “defuse” the emotionally-charged topic. Who knows. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-trumps-support-endures/802908/6 "2017-11-28T01:24:34Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Why can’t we all just admit Trump’s base are largely motivated by nativism and white nationalism? Why do we have to pretend they are motivated by economics or an indepth understanding of complex domestic and international policy? > > As long as Trump hates uppity blacks, latino immigrants and muslims, and he treats women like their only value is their appearance, his base will stand behind him. The fact that Trump is incompetent, a criminal, a sexual abuser, treasonous, unprofessional, etc. doesn’t matter to his base. As long as he supports nativism and white nationalism he will have a huge ground of support. > > Why do we have to pretend his base are better people than they actually are? That is a serious question. I’m tired of people pretending these people are motivated by economics because nobody wants to admit how fucked up America and Americans are. Who is pretending that? Not me. That article basically says exactly what you said in your second paragraph. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-trumps-support-endures/802908/7 "2017-11-28T02:28:06Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > This is something [I said before](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=830138) as well. It seems that some people (in the media and elsewhere) will always try to find the most \*neutral-sounding \*explanation to explain a highly emotionally-charged subject, or find the most non-controversial reason to explain why a controversial thing happened. > > When Trump won, such people latched onto things like “economics” or “income inequality” or “wage stagnation” because such explanations are calmer-sounding. Maybe their motive is that they want to “defuse” the emotionally-charged topic. Who knows. Yeah. I think a lot of Americans aren’t comfortable admitting how tribalistic we are, or how widespread and deep the current of nativism and white nationalism here is. Either way, whenever people say ‘its economics’ I always bring up (at least) the following two facts. 1. Why were only white people in support of Trump? Lots of blacks, latinos and asians struggle financially and they didn’t support Trump at all. If it was an economic appeal, why did it only work on white voters? 2. Why is education so negatively correlated with Trump support? College educated whites are about 30-40 points to the left of high school educated whites in their Trump support. Even when you control for income, college educated whites are far less likely to support Trump than high school educated whites in the same income bracket. Low income, middle income, high income, etc. Doesn’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-trumps-support-endures/802908/8 "2017-11-28T02:47:24Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Yeah. I think a lot of Americans aren’t comfortable admitting how tribalistic we are, or how widespread and deep the current of nativism and white nationalism here is. > > … You spelled \*ignorance \*wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-trumps-support-endures/802908/9 "2017-11-28T03:03:58Z")
I think tribalism is sadly part of being a human. We have a lot of psychological hangups that can come to the surface in an environment that supports them. A thousand years ago the vikings were marauders who’d pillage, rape and kill. Now those countries are among the most peaceful and civilized on earth (if not the most). But tribalism is built in. And sadly when you throw in the legacy of slavery that just makes it worse because the purveyors of slavery had an incentive to keep poor whites and poor blacks divided so they wouldn’t unite and overthrow the aristocrats. I really don’t know what the answer is. If anyone has figured out how to reverse tribal divisions on a society wide scale, I’m all ears. In my experience, the divisions only go down when something so horrific happens that people are forced to confront how destructive the tribal divisions are. Genocides, etc. Even then, that doesn’t always work (antisemitism has improved quite a bit in the west after the holocaust, but is still a major issue in the middle east, etc). ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-trumps-support-endures/802908/10 "2017-11-28T03:07:05Z")
Is this the same group of people who still want to impeach Hillary?