# Who is Trump's base? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 27, 2018, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820 "2018-06-27T05:38:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820/21 "2018-06-27T15:01:59Z")
White straight men are in the vast majority of power positions all across the country, how much more can say can you expect to have? All of the say? ---
**Author:** ![senoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@senoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/senoy)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820/22 "2018-06-27T15:08:17Z")
> [@Airbeck](#): > > White straight men are in the vast majority of power positions all across the country, how much more can say can you expect to have? All of the say? That’s pretty much exactly Trumpian’s point. They get lumped into a category that they aren’t part of. High school drop-out, laid-off miner working at Walmart in Hooten Holler, Kentucky ain’t exactly in a position of power, but because he shares a skin-color and gender with those that are, he feels his wants and needs are being ignored. The message they are getting is that guy working in a gas station making 9 bucks an hour needs to cede his power and privilege to others and he’s just not seeing what power and privilege he has that he needs to cede. All that he sees is that programs designed to help women and minorities don’t help him and he sees himself in the same shape that they are, but without anyone offering to help him out. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820/23 "2018-06-27T15:10:52Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > A large segment of his base are people who feel like their voice is not being heard. It is common, for instance, to hear a refrain to the effect of “Minorities get their say, women get their say, LGBT get their say, Muslims get their say, but the media/academia doesn’t speak up on behalf of white straight men, etc. We are told to check our privilege rather than getting our voices heard like everyone else’s.” What country are these people living in? Anyone who thinks straight white men don’t have a voice in America is delusional. Trump plays to that. While other people try to explain the truth to these people, Trump (a man who’s also embraced birtherism, anti-vaxxing, and Pizzagate) tells them that their delusions are real. ---
**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:** [June 27, 2018, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820/24 "2018-06-27T15:15:20Z")
> [@senoy](#): > > That’s pretty much exactly Trumpian’s point. They get lumped into a category that they aren’t part of. High school drop-out, laid-off miner working at Walmart in Hooten Holler, Kentucky ain’t exactly in a position of power, but because he shares a skin-color and gender with those that are, he feels his wants and needs are being ignored. The message they are getting is that guy working in a gas station making 9 bucks an hour needs to cede his power and privilege to others and he’s just not seeing what power and privilege he has that he needs to cede. All that he sees is that programs designed to help women and minorities don’t help him and he sees himself in the same shape that they are, but without anyone offering to help him out. Maybe. But how stupid do you have to be to believe \*Donald Fucking Trump \*is going to make anything better? Clinton actually had plans to help high school drop outs and people working at gas stations. ---
**Author:** ![senoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@senoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/senoy)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820/25 "2018-06-27T15:26:56Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Maybe. But how stupid do you have to be to believe \*Donald Fucking Trump \*is going to make anything better? Clinton actually had plans to help high school drop outs and people working at gas stations. As mentioned above, I don’t think that they believe Trump will help them. I think that they think he’ll make everyone else just as uncomfortable as they are. He’s not a Messiah, he’s a middle finger. ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820/26 "2018-06-27T15:30:09Z")
> [@senoy](#): > > That’s pretty much exactly Trumpian’s point. They get lumped into a category that they aren’t part of. High school drop-out, laid-off miner working at Walmart in Hooten Holler, Kentucky ain’t exactly in a position of power, but because he shares a skin-color and gender with those that are, he feels his wants and needs are being ignored. The message they are getting is that guy working in a gas station making 9 bucks an hour needs to cede his power and privilege to others and he’s just not seeing what power and privilege he has that he needs to cede. All that he sees is that programs designed to help women and minorities don’t help him and he sees himself in the same shape that they are, but without anyone offering to help him out. Well then why do they lump together minorities, women, and other non-straight white male groups then? If they think those other groups of people all “get a voice” but they don’t because all straight white men are not the same, then they are saying that its ok to assume all members of “minority” or “women” are the same, but its not ok to assume that about them. That is the height of hypocrisy and entitlement. ---
**Author:** ![senoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@senoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/senoy)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820/27 "2018-06-27T15:39:50Z")
> [@Airbeck](#): > > Well then why do they lump together minorities, women, and other non-straight white male groups then? If they think those other groups of people all “get a voice” but they don’t because all straight white men are not the same, then they are saying that its ok to assume all members of “minority” or “women” are the same, but its not ok to assume that about them. That is the height of hypocrisy and entitlement. Firstly, it’s human nature to think the best of yourself and the worst of others. It’s a form of fundamental attribution error and it exists because they are humans. Secondly, I don’t think they are claiming that everyone else is the same or even that the problem is that they are being lumped into a group they aren’t part of. Their argument is more simplistic. “I’m not getting crap, my dad didn’t get crap, my grandpa didn’t get crap and our lives sucked. People are now saying they are about to get a lot worse because I’m privileged and need to give that up - when I have never observed myself to have any privilege. I don’t like that. I’m sick of hearing it and here’s a Trumpian middle finger to all of you liberal coastals who have never experienced my life or my problems, but still think that I’m the problem. It’s nice that you want to remove my privilege and my place in society, while you are making six figures with an Ivy League education and I’m making min wage and my high school diploma isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. I guarantee when you’re talking about giving up privilege, you’re not thinking of selling your vacation home in the Hamptons, you’re thinking about destroying my way of life. Here’s a Trump, enjoy.” ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820/28 "2018-06-27T15:41:47Z")
So the party of personal responsibility and limited government is a total fiction and they really do just want government to give them stuff? Its really just about greed then? ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820/29 "2018-06-27T15:54:47Z")
From a practical standpoint, Trump’s base is everyone who voted for him in 2016 and plans to vote for him in 2020 regardless of of who the Democratic nominee is. I think the discussion of who Trump’s base is and what it would take to get them to change there minds about Tump somewhat misses the point. IMHO the more interesting question is who the voters in MI, WI, and PA were that turned those states from Obama states into Trump states. I doubt that there were many, if any, bigots of various stripes (racists, homophobes, whatever) that voted twice for Obama and then decided they liked Trump better than Clinton. Who are the voters that actually did make this difference, and why did they change their minds in 2016? My guess is that most of them are people who would usually fall into the Democratic camp, but were frustrated that in the 8 years of Obama their own personal financial situations either got worse or stagnated. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820/30 "2018-06-27T15:57:27Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I hear references to “Trump’s base” a lot around here. I’m particularly interested in hearing from those who have used the phrase themselves. Who are you talking about? Rustlers, cut throats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperados, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, halfwits, dimwits, vipers, snipers, con men, Indian agents, Mexican bandits, muggers, buggerers, bushwhackers, hornswogglers, horse thieves, bull dykes, train robbers, bank robbers, ass-kickers, shit-kickers and Methodists. Wait, strike the part about Mexican bandits. Those are bad hombres. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820/31 "2018-06-27T16:22:38Z")
Here are some. The level of being blind to reality is truly amazing. > [@](#): > > It is time for a smoke break at the Harley-Davidson power-train facility in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, and the talk is all about tariffs. > > The men and women who build these famous American motorcycles are weighing the latest unintended consequence of Donald Trump’s presidency: the possibility they could lose their jobs because of a tit-for-tat trade war that has caught the Harley in its crossfire. > > \ > > The workers gathered outside the factory gate could end up as collateral damage, but most are sticking by their man regardless. Wearing earphones draped around their necks and safety blinders on their glasses, most happily volunteer that they voted for Mr Trump and would do so again — tariffs or no tariffs. > > “He wouldn’t do it unless it needed to be done, he’s a very smart businessman,” said one Harley employee whose name is embroidered on his work shirt — though he asks not to be quoted by name. > > “I think he’s playing poker: I’ll hit you with this, you’ll hit us with that, I think this will bring them to the table — unless he’s completely crazy,” chimed in another, who also declined to be quoted on the grounds that he could get into trouble with the company for speaking out. > > Asked whether they blame the president or the EU for causing Harley’s offshoring decision, most say emphatically that they blame only the Europeans. “The president was just trying to save the US aluminium and steel industry,” said one approvingly. > > SOURCE: [Harley-Davidson workers back Trump despite jobs shift](https://www.ft.com/content/29f24644-78f1-11e8-bc55-50daf11b720d) ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820/32 "2018-06-27T16:42:17Z")
> [@Airbeck](#): > > Well then why do they lump together minorities, women, and other non-straight white male groups then? If they think those other groups of people all “get a voice” but they don’t because all straight white men are not the same, then they are saying that its ok to assume all members of “minority” or “women” are the same, but its not ok to assume that about them. That is the height of hypocrisy and entitlement. It has nothing to do with white men being lumped together. It has everything to do with creating an illusion that somehow they are being prevented from advancing themselves, (which has been the tactic of the Republican party, in order to solidify the base). It used to be they could sit on their asses and not learn new skills and still come out as part of the middle class. But the world economy is changing, and that’s not possible _for anyone_ now–they are not the only ones affected in this way. There ARE programs for them. Never heard of WIOA? Of course they haven’t, because they’re too busy watching Celebrity Apprentice. (Never mind, because Devoss wants to cut it.) They DO have programs. It’s called SCHOOL. Both Clinton and Sanders were pushing for that–school (community college, training) for EVERYONE. But (a part of) Trump’s base would rather just sit on their asses and blame others. They were spoiled and entitled by the post-WWII economy, but that’s over now. ---
**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:** [June 27, 2018, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820/33 "2018-06-27T18:01:39Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > What country are these people living in? Anyone who thinks straight white men don’t have a voice in America is delusional. There are different definitions of “equality.” One says, “equality” means that ‘disadvantaged’ groups should get more spotlight and non-disadvantaged groups should get less. The others says ‘equality’ shouldn’t be based off of context - that if there is a Hispanic Heritage Month, a Black History Month, a Native American Month, etc., then there should also be a White Caucasian Month, otherwise white people are left out. Trump voters identify heavily with the latter approach. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820/34 "2018-06-27T18:09:16Z")
> [@Airbeck](#): > > White straight men are in the vast majority of power positions all across the country, how much more can say can you expect to have? All of the say? > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > What country are these people living in? Anyone who thinks straight white men don’t have a voice in America is delusional. Tell that to the straight white men who believe that homosexuality is immoral. They’re being told, with increasing frequency and increasing vehemence, that it is downright **illegal** for them to practice their religion. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820/35 "2018-06-27T18:21:19Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > Tell that to the straight white men who believe that homosexuality is immoral. They’re being told, with increasing frequency and increasing vehemence, that it is downright **illegal** for them to practice their religion. Ain’t nobody forcing anyone to suck a dick. ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820/36 "2018-06-27T18:24:23Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > Tell that to the straight white men who believe that homosexuality is immoral. They’re being told, with increasing frequency and increasing vehemence, that it is downright **illegal** for them to practice their religion. No they aren’t. Nobody is being forced to be homosexual against their will. Maybe they are being told that they can’t force their own religious beliefs on the rest of society. That is not the same thing, and they have no right to be upset about that. We have freedom of religion in this country. What they want is the freedom to force their beliefs on everyone else, and we don’t stand for that. Rightly so. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820/37 "2018-06-27T18:26:05Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > Tell that to the straight white men who believe that homosexuality is immoral. They’re being told, with increasing frequency and increasing vehemence, that it is downright **illegal** for them to practice their religion. They believe that their religion tells them to not be homosexuals. They aren’t being homosexuals. It isn’t illegal to not be a homosexual. Where does their religion tell them that, in order to be good, and in order to “practice their religion,” they have to impose that belief on others? ---
**Author:** ![senoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@senoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/senoy)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820/38 "2018-06-27T18:43:48Z")
I think though that they feel that the beliefs are being forced on them. An example would be that San Antonio is painting a rainbow crosswalk to support LGBTQ rights. Evangelical groups though are having their monuments taken off of public property. What they see is that this thing that is against their religion is being given state support and encouraged by the state, while their stances are being legally prohibited from state support. It’s not just state support though, they see it in the private sphere as well. Of course we can say they are just losing the war of ideas and that’s true, but they see other minority groups that are losing the war of ideas seeing some measure of state and social support while they don’t perceive that they get any. They aren’t completely wrong by the way which is why they are upset about it. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820/39 "2018-06-27T18:45:47Z")
Getting harder and harder to “smack down 'dem fagots”. That’s what this is ultimately about. Be it trying to force their ‘religion’ on others, or brutalizing those that don’t hold the same “values”. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820/40 "2018-06-27T19:35:33Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Where does their religion tell them that, in order to be good, and in order to “practice their religion,” they have to impose that belief on others? I have been given to understand that saving souls and “bringing people to Christ” is the object for Baptists. Causing people to believe as your religion does is the effort of many Christian denominations. The Pilgrims came to American so that they would not be persecuted for their religious beliefs and shove them down other people’s throats. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-trumps-base/816820.md?page=3)