Why do you like Donald Trump as President?

[wolfpup]

@clairobscur

I’m a French leftist, who shouldn’t have a clue, but their point seems crystal clear to me :

Even though they’d prefer him to be different, they don’t really give a shit about Trump lying or grabbing Hollywood pussies. What they care about is that they’re rather modest people (despite what you say about the “richest class of people” : they don’t compare themselves to 19th century people or African subsistence farmers : they compare themselves to other Americans, and from this point of view, they aren’t swimming in wealth and privileges) who would like to at least keep their modest way of life, and if possible get back the better paying factory job they had 15 years ago. They have the feeling that nobody gives a shit about their plight, that everybody, especially in Washington, despise them despite having done nothing to deserve this scorn, and hope that maybe, for once, somebody will do something to improve their lot. At least Trump said he would, and they still cling to the hope that he will.

There is a certain amount of truth to the fact that Trump supporters generally feel that their government has largely been shit and cares mainly about the plutocrats and not about them. There is also a great deal of truth to the supposition that Trump supporters are generally redneck ignoramuses who were swindled by a con man and who elected the most incompetent, corrupt, self-serving, plutocratically aligned administration in modern history and perhaps ever in American history. Just listen to any of these morons try to explain their reasoning, or try to defend their hero.

@clairobscur

I’m sure that assuming that the only reason why half your country voted for Trump is that they’re all sexist, racist idiots is going to help greatly to win the next elections.

Half the country did not vote for Trump. In fact half the country did not vote, period – the quintessential American problem. Many of the others voted along party lines with a very poor understanding of the issues. I would guess that the majority of Trump voters had the issues explained to them by Fox News.

[John_Mace]

@enipla

Thanks all. And so far a good interpretation of why we think they like Trump. I agree with what has been said. I would like to see a Trump supporter step forward and express it in their own words. There are at least 3 or 4 Trump supporters here. Perhaps more. This is your place to explain why you support Trump.

No attacks please, for now lets call this a neutral zone. Asking to clarify is OK. Perhaps I should have put this in GD.

Why don’t you PM them so they know about your thread? But would you blame folks for not participating in a thread in the Pit? It’s a guarantee to be insulted by your fellow posters here-- maybe dozens of them.

[enipla]

@John_Mace

Why don’t you PM them so they know about your thread? But would you blame folks for not participating in a thread in the Pit? It’s a guarantee to be insulted by your fellow posters here-- maybe dozens of them.

Yeah, you’re right. I thought I/we might get some insight without attacking each other.

I’ll let this thread die on the vine. Or if it just turns into another he said/she said, I will ask it to be shut down.

[Clothahump]

@enipla

I put this in the Pit because I know this is where it will end up.

But I am curious as to why anyone supports him. Or would consider him for anything in government or any type of business deal at all.

Be prepared to back up your position.

I know this is going to be a rough room, but do tell. Why do you support him?

Let’s try to be gentle here folks. I am genuinely curious.

What’s not to like?

Here’s a good starting point: Trump's First Year: His Top 82 Accomplishments

But first and foremost - he’s not Hillary Clinton.

[Robot_Arm]

@clairobscur

…

They have the feeling that nobody gives a shit about their plight, that everybody, especially in Washington, despise them despite having done nothing to deserve this scorn, and hope that maybe, for once, somebody will do something to improve their lot. At least Trump said he would, and they still cling to the hope that he will.

The fact that you perceive them as super-privileged people who care only for their guns (the gun issue was mentioned only once in a very long article, you must be blind and biased to have noticed only this) underlines the problem : you appear to be totally deaf to the actual reasons why they voted Trump, and totally uninterested in them and in their issues.

There may be some truth to that, but it cuts both ways. How much are midwest farmers and Appalachian coal miners interested in city dwellers and their issues? For every dismissal of “flyover country” there’s a corresponding accusation of “ivory-tower elitist”.

Or do Trump supporters think that they’re the only Real Americans[sup]TM[/sup], and only their agenda matters?

[Bryan_Ekers]

Well, ~62 million Americans voted for Trump, or about one in five.

I don’t have a problem assuming that one in ten Americans (or about half of the total voters for Trump) would automatically vote for the Republican candidate no matter what because:

1. The general perception that Republicans will seek to regulate if not outright ban abortion.
2. The general perception that Republicans will not seek to regulate, let alone ban gun ownership.
3. The general perception that Republicans will lower taxes and/or improve the economy.
4. The general perception that Republicans are tougher on criminals and/or less yielding to the demands of social minorities.
5. The general perception that Republicans want to introduce more Christianity into legislation and/or legislate protections for Christianity.

Whether or not these perceptions are actually true (and of course willfully ignoring any evidence that they are false), I feel comfortable estimating that half of the Americans voting for Trump would have voted for any Republican for one or more of the above reasons.

So why did the remaining one American in ten vote from Trump? I speculate some combination of:

1. Wanting to break or at least shake up the system they perceive as not serving their interests
2. Dislike of Hillary Clinton specifically
3. Admiration for Trump personally

That third category is the one I have the biggest trouble understanding. Sam Harris said Trump was like a poor person’s idea of a rich person. I suppose there must be some admiration for Trump based on not much more than “he’s rich, therefore smart” or “he’s on TV, therefore smart.”

[Velocity]

There was also probably a certain number of voters who voted for Trump for the “Boaty McBoatFace” reason - in the same way that people voted for a dignified scientific research ship to be named Boaty McBoatFace *because *the name was so inappropriate, some people probably supported Trump for president for sheer sake of the lulz. The more unsuitable a candidate was perceived to be, the more they wanted him in the Oval Office. A 4chan-type mindset.

[GIGObuster]

@Clothahump

What’s not to like?

Here’s a good starting point: Trump's First Year: His Top 82 Accomplishments

But first and foremost - he’s not Hillary Clinton.

First of all, the author points out that those items are mentioned regardless if they are good or bad. IOW, one can indeed accomplish a lot, but so did Attila the Hun.

Besides the immigration issue that can be debated, one does not need to read 5 lines before one can notice that most of those accomplishments are not quite.

“American companies now expanding rather than shipping jobs overseas”

Under Trump, US jobs are moving overseas even faster than before

All told, in the year since Trump was elected, more than 93,000 jobs have been certified by the Department of Labor as lost to outsourcing or trade competition, slightly higher than the average of about 87,000 in the preceding five years. But federal contractors made up 10% of that number, rather than the previous average of 4%. That suggests companies that work for the government like General Motors, Boeing and United Technologies aren’t worried about political repercussions from the man in the White House.

“Adopted a resolute policy on Afghanistan”

U.S. Losing Afghanistan: Militants Expand, Forces Quit

U.S. Losing War in Afghanistan as Militants Take More Land and Tens of Thousands of Security Forces Leave

[septimus]

@Monty

… The reason the morons support Trump is “He’s not Hillary Clinton”. That’s it. There is no substance, no argument. They just could not stand the thought of a strong woman becoming president after a strong Black man managed to become president…

This may help explain how Trump won the general election in November, but he also did very well in the primary season where Hillary-haters had other anti-Clinton candidates to choose from, either intelligent (Bush, Kasich) or nitwits of Trump’s caliber (almost all the others on the clown stage).

Too bad we’re in the Pit. I’d like to hear what the Board’s Republicans think about Pence, what they think about renouncing the Iran deal, what they think about ballooning the debt with a tax cut. Or are they all of Hurricane’s ilk, unable to think beyond the $13 extra in their take-home paycheck?

[Clothahump]

@Monty

I think I’ve posted this before on this board, but am not sure, so here goes (possibly again). The reason the morons support Trump is “He’s not Hillary Clinton”. That’s it. There is no substance, no argument. They just could not stand the thought of a strong woman becoming president

Oh, Jesus Christ on a crutch. A “strong woman”? Substitute “felon” for that phrase and it would be correct.

[Bryan_Ekers]

@Clothahump

Oh, Jesus Christ on a crutch. A “strong woman”? Substitute “felon” for that phrase and it would be correct.

So… is that why you like Trump?

[septimus]

@Clothahump

Oh, Jesus Christ on a crutch. A “strong woman”? Substitute “felon” for that phrase and it would be correct.

Obviously she’s a serial killer, and a traitor. Is that what you’re referring to? Voting for the 2002 AUMF makes her a war criminal, and that pizza parlor-brothel makes her a white slaver.

So many felonies to choose from. The U.S.A. is sure lucky to have a generous and upstanding Christian like DJT in her stead.

[Musicat]

It’s really very simple.

I hate blacks. Trump hates blacks. Go, Trump!

I hate Jews. Trump hates Jews. Go, Trump!

I hate immigrants. Trump hates immigrants. Go, Trump!

I hate rich people. Trump…uhm… Go, go, Trumpster!

I’m sure you see where this is going. Voters vote their inner-conscience, and this is what their inner conscience is telling them. Rationality is not a factor.

[Superdude]

@Clothahump

Oh, Jesus Christ on a crutch. A “strong woman”? Substitute “felon” for that phrase and it would be correct.

What was she convicted of?

[anomalous1]

The intimidation factor. Hillary and Obama did not have that. It was time to remind the world with a change. An arrogant, egomaniacal self-centered leader with a penchant for bullying and intimidation is what was needed. Can’t have our enemies drawing the lines to not cross. In the same vein, someone who does not represent or have an association with “sneering progressive” elitist scumbags who assume that they have all of the answers to everything about our society but were too naive to notice that their ultra-left wing sociology and cultural studies teachers had brainwashed them.

Notice, I did not say Liberal’s here. I have come to terms that many/most Liberal/Democrats are actually sane and rational and accept reality, but the fringey ultra-left were taking it too far and the Democratic party had started to let them have their way. With Trump, it will knock them down a peg or two and thus bring upon more moderate changes and discussions in moving in the right direction.

Alternating between Left and Right in election cycles is the best way to maintain the status quo and make changes slowly and comfortably.

Just the opinion of this voter. My $0.02.

[anomalous1]

@Musicat

It’s really very simple.

I hate blacks. Trump hates blacks. Go, Trump!

I hate Jews. Trump hates Jews. Go, Trump!

I hate immigrants. Trump hates immigrants. Go, Trump!

I hate rich people. Trump…uhm… Go, go, Trumpster!

I’m sure you see where this is going. Voters vote their inner-conscience, and this is what their inner conscience is telling them. Rationality is not a factor.

This is just absolutely not correct.

[El_Kabong]

@Superdude

What was she convicted of?

Benghazing with intent.

And Clothahump continues to be confused as to what constitutes a felon.

[Superdude]

@El_Kabong

Benghazing with intent.

And Clothahump continues to be confused as to what constitutes a felon.

https://definitions.uslegal.com/f/felon/ : “Felon is the term used to define a person who has been convicted of a felony. Any person convicted of a serous crime like murder or burglary can be called a felon”

Felon legal definition of felon ; "felon
n. a person who has been convicted of a felony, which is a crime punishable by death or a term in state or federal prison. "

FELON Definition & Meaning - Black's Law Dictionary :“; one convicted of felony”

El Kabong, I know you know this already. I’m merely trying to make sure that we’re all using the same term the same way.

[El_Kabong]

Anyway, why I like Trump is for the sheer entertainment value. To paraphrase a line from an old movie, there’s never any telling what he’ll say or do next, except that it’s bound to be something astonishing.

Of course my conscience apparently withered and died without my noticing sometime back, so I don’t seem to think very much about how astoundingly fucked up Mr. Trump, and most of his retinue, truly are.

[Snowboarder_Bo]

@kaylasdad99

Although the “He’s not Hillary Clinton” excuse shows a shockingly low level of critical thought (and a correspondingly high degree of irresponsibility),

Did you read that WaPo article? :dubious:

Although he had not seen Trump’s victory coming, he said that it hadn’t been difficult to interest people in Trump’s candidacy. “I think Trump brought out the fact that — I mean, as crude and callous as he was at times — so many people had been almost discriminated against because they were Republicans and not Democrats that we felt inferior.”

As Gaulrapp left the McDonald’s, he passed by a table of half a dozen men, most of them retired and one sporting a red “Make America Great Again” cap. They all said they had voted for Trump and they jokingly called themselves “a basket of deplorables.” They blamed President Bill Clinton and the North American Free Trade Agreement for the exodus of jobs from the town. They blamed Obama for not bridging racial divides and for other things. They couldn’t stomach Hillary Clinton. They already viewed the incoming president as a success. “I think he’s done a better job, and he isn’t even president yet, than Obama did in eight years,” one man said.

“All these accusations are wonderful, but until you prove something, basically you have accused the president of the United States of being a traitor without any proof coming out,” he said. “That’s why I said, good luck to Democrats. They better make this stick because if it’s just sour grapes, they’re in a world of hurt. The Democratic Party almost might kill itself.”

He said many people in Clinton County had not rendered a verdict on Trump’s presidency and wanted him to have more time to show what he could do. “The thing that is frustrating people, at least in this part of the state, [is] they want Trump to have that opportunity and they see a lot of this harassment is limiting his opportunity to do what he was going to do,” he said.

I’m sure they said the same thing when anyone implied that Obama was born in Kenya, right? :dubious: Anyway, back to the quotes:

“I was very wary of Barack Obama and he proved me correct on that,” he said over coffee on a summer afternoon. “I despise Barack Obama. I think primarily because I don’t think he thinks very much of people like me. That’s just the long and short of it.”

:eek: what…the…fuck…?

Trump’s appeal, he said, was born in part of resentment toward the Obama presidency. “One of the places I would agree with the hard-core Trump people, they’re tired of being treated as the enemy by Barack Obama,” he said. “His comment, the whole thing, it’s been worn out to death, that clinging to God and guns, God and guns and afraid of people who don’t look like them, blah, blah, blah. Just quit talking down to me.”

Hey, let’s hear from some Democrats:

That evening, the members of the local Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party gathered for their monthly meeting. With a reporter present, they replayed what had happened in the 2016 election. Many opinions were offered, including that the news media weren’t as rigorous in covering Trump as it was Clinton. One activist offered a conclusion shared by many Democrats in the Midwest. “The 60-year-old white male has been forgotten,” he said.

:eek::smack:

George Morse, a retired firefighter, recalled Bill Clinton’s presidency. “I was best off when Bill was president,” he said. Today, he said, neither party favors the working person. He had long voted for Democrats until Obama. “I just didn’t like his attitude,” he said. In 2016, he supported Trump. “We were definitely due for a change.”

Okay, maybe that’s enough from Democrats for now:

“Every night when I watch the national news, I wonder what circus is going to be on the news, what they’re going to talk about,” he said. “And virtually every night, the first headline is something that President Trump has done or said. . . . I hoped for more of the making America great again, making America strong again, rebuilding our economy in our country. . . . It’s almost like it’s ‘The Apprentice’ on a daily basis.”

Duh. Why did you expect something else?

People were more fed up than ever with Washington, he said. “What I’m hearing around here, give the guy a chance,” he said. “Nobody is giving him a chance. We got some Republicans — the Republicans and a lot of the independents are getting very hard toward Congress and the swamp. People have come up with two things that Trump brought up with and everybody is now saying, ‘You’re right.’ Number one, fake news. And it might not be fake news, but there’s so much news that is delivered with a slant or an opinion instead of just presenting the news. And the second thing is the swamp.”

“I’m words and talking my mouth makes the words and noise noise noise like my mouth is talking with words!”

Initially wary of Trump’s lack of political correctness, Smicker said he now appreciated the president’s approach. “He got elected because he wasn’t a politician. He’s not politically correct at all,” he said. A minute later, he added: “I think as people get more used to him and find out how real he is — and I think the guy is real, I don’t think he’s putting on a charade — I think people are going to get used to him and say, ‘Okay, now we kind of know what we’ve got.’ ”

HOLY FUCK YOU JACKASS! YOU HANDED THIS GUY THE NUCLEAR CODES, YOU DUMBFUCK! YOU SHOULD ALREADY KNOW WHAT THE FUCK YOU’RE GETTING BEFORE YOU ELECT SOMEONE!

“I can’t speak for everybody,” he said, “but there’s some acceptance to the inflammatory rhetoric — I’m not saying I agree with it — in exchange for policies that are near and dear to our heart. Positions on Second Amendment. Conservative Supreme Court justices. I don’t think it’s an either/or. I think you can do both. I think you can accept Donald Trump as a president while disagreeing with his positions or his rhetoric or his comments as it relates to certain issues.”

The reason, he said, is that the alternative to Trump is too threatening to contemplate. “The fear of a Dick Durbin, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer economy or country is so dangerous that there’s some acceptance of perhaps rhetoric we don’t agree with,” he said. “Many Republicans probably still look at, well, our president is better than the alternative of Hillary Clinton for the following reasons — and people fill in that blank. It may be their position on abortion issues. It may be their position on gun issues. It may be their position on NAFTA, Paris climate agreement. Everybody has their different reasons.”

My point is that critical thought really doesn’t seem to be at play here.

@Velocity

There was also probably a certain number of voters who voted for Trump for the “Boaty McBoatFace” reason - in the same way that people voted for a dignified scientific research ship to be named Boaty McBoatFace *because *the name was so inappropriate, some people probably supported Trump for president for sheer sake of the lulz. The more unsuitable a candidate was perceived to be, the more they wanted him in the Oval Office. A 4chan-type mindset.

Aye; there was that too.