# Why we have Trump **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [June 27, 2025, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197 "2025-06-27T13:15:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197/21 "2025-06-27T14:34:59Z")
And to be clear, there’s a place for reasoned, sober discussion of why Trump won. That discussion should bring cites and careful arguments. _That’s not what I’m talking about_. I’m talking about the use of “YOU MADE TRUMP WIN” as a cheap point-scorer. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197/22 "2025-06-27T14:35:35Z")
Are Democrats willing to adopt the tactics of the right? Are they willing to sidestep merit, to lie, to generate mountains of propaganda, to attack those who legitimately do have merit? If so, then we can blame Democrats for not doing that, because that’s what the system rewards. If we’re opposed to Democrats doing that on principle, then we have no choice but to acknowledge that the system is bad. I don’t think Democrats can consistently win by trying to out-merit the competition, and that’s a problem. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197/23 "2025-06-27T14:40:39Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Trump won, and everyone knows why. It was because liberals put up with too much, or not enough. It was because Kamala Harris ran, or didn’t run early enough. It is because Biden dropped out, or didn’t drop out when he should have. It was because progressives took over the party, or because Democrats abandoned progressives. Talked too much about trans! Didn’t hold the line on trans! Didn’t push alternatives to police! Insisted on defunding the police! Spent all our time talking about Trump’s lies instead of policies! Didn’t talk enough about Trump’s lies! Reminded me of a meme out there: Whatever drug Trump is snorting, it’s either not enough or too much. ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197/24 "2025-06-27T14:41:22Z")
Expecting people to read your whole post is why Trump won. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197/25 "2025-06-27T14:41:53Z")
No: people NOT reading my whole post is why Trump won. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197/26 "2025-06-27T14:47:43Z")
You’re both right! ---
**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:** [June 27, 2025, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197/27 "2025-06-27T14:51:10Z")
[INTERLUDE] I’m going to take a global, cosmic, long-range historical look at the question posed in the OP. Unfortunately, it’s something that can’t be changed in the long run, although it WILL eventually change (for a while) in the short run. We have trump because people are stupid, selfish, afraid, and unwilling to look beyond their own temporary self-interest. Because times got tough-- or people believed that they were tough-- because of natural economic/social cycles, and Someone came along who promised to fix the tough times if only He (and it has been men historically) were put in charge. IOW we have trump because _human nature._ Modern History: - Adolf Hitler: Leader of Nazi Germany, responsible for the Holocaust and initiating World War II. - Joseph Stalin: Leader of the Soviet Union, known for mass purges, forced labor camps, and policies that led to famine. - Mao Zedong: Founder of the People’s Republic of China, responsible for millions of deaths through his policies like the Great Leap Forward. - Benito Mussolini: Founder of Italian Fascism and dictator of Italy, allied with Nazi Germany during World War II. - Pol Pot: Leader of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, orchestrated the Cambodian genocide. - Saddam Hussein: President of Iraq, known for his brutal rule and wars against neighboring countries. - Idi Amin: The “Butcher of Uganda,” known for his brutal repression and ethnic cleansing. - Kim Il-sung: Founder of North Korea, established a totalitarian state characterized by purges and repression. - Francisco Franco: Leader of Nationalist forces in the Spanish Civil War and dictator of Spain, known for his authoritarian rule and repression. - Augusto Pinochet: Leader of the military junta in Chile, known for human rights abuses and the suppression of political opposition. Okay, so trump isn’t as bad as these guys. Yet. For one thing, he’s not as smart as most of them. There will always be a trump and there will always be stupid, uneducated, unthinking people to support him. In our country’s relatively short history, we had managed to escape his like up to now. Back to the short-term discussion. [/INTERLUDE] ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197/28 "2025-06-27T15:10:40Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > That said, I’m getting some pretty sour amusement out of how this thread is turning into exactly the sort of thing I’m making fun of. Well, since this basically immediately derailed into something contrary to your intent, I’ll just say this: There is no one reason we got Trump. There aren’t even ten reasons we got Trump. But — given what America is — it was _inevitable_ that a Trump would eventually rise. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197/29 "2025-06-27T16:07:26Z")
Of course there is no one reason that Harris lost. However, I am about as blue dogged a Dem as ever stuffed a ballot box, and Harris’ embrace of Liz Cheney definitely diminished my enthusiasm for the ticket. ---
**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, 2025, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197/30 "2025-06-27T16:15:25Z")
That’s a good example, and similar to the “she talked too much / not enough” about transgender rights. Did Harris gain more support from Bush / Cheney Republicans than she lost from hard core liberals and progressives by accepting Cheney’s endorsement? I don’t know. That’s one of the difficult to determine areas. Other areas, however, like the Democrats lacking an effective propaganda machine, are more obvious. I think it’s hard to deny that the lack of a Democratic version of say, Joe Rogan, is something that hurts Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197/31 "2025-06-27T16:18:15Z")
I think the post mortem analyses I saw suggest that there was minimal cross-over from Republicans. If Cheney helped any, she didn’t help much. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197/32 "2025-06-27T16:18:50Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > That said, I’m getting some pretty sour amusement out of how this thread is turning into exactly the sort of thing I’m making fun of. You’re a ‘99er’, did you actually expect the thread to turn out differently? 😜 ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197/33 "2025-06-27T16:23:11Z")
Why do we have Trump? Racism and bigotry. Trump allowed them to crawl out from under their rocks. And welcomed them. He encouraged them. He is one of them, and them him. They will never go away, but they are welcome to crawl back under their rocks. The other issue is single issue voters. I admit I’m a single issue voter. I’m a NEVER TRUMP. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197/34 "2025-06-27T16:24:24Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > Did Harris gain more support from Bush / Cheney Republicans than she lost from hard core liberals and progressives by accepting Cheney’s endorsement? In theory, that (and her unquestioning support for Israel) could have lost her a lot of progressive votes while only gaining a relatively small number of conservative votes, and still been a winning tactic, given that we have the Electoral College. The problem with trying to appeal to conservatives, though, is that they always have an _actual conservative party_ to vote for, so the likely outcome is that you piss off the base without picking up any conservative votes at all. And one thing we’ve definitely learned is that “conservatives” who actually believe in the Constitution aren’t numerous enough to be a constituency worth fighting for. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197/35 "2025-06-27T16:30:39Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > Lack of education. Or at least that’s one of the contributing factors. As but one example, i happened to be watching an episode of some reality TV show that was on in the background somewhere, and one young woman (an American) was unaware of who the POTUS is and of the major parties in American politics. This, we fostered a nation full of people with no respect for education. Then they wonder why foreigners come in and take the high paying technical jobs, or why their doctor is from India. At the same time, they are too good to take the manual labor jobs that they are suited for, the ones where they could work hard and learn to build up a business from nothing. They blame everyone but themselves for their lack of initiative and so they vote for the guy who blames others for his and the countries problems. The guy who also wasn’t successful at business and had to declare bankruptcy. They dream of taking the people they blame to court and not having to pay their bills. We have a substantial number of Americans who admire this crap. So here we are. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197/36 "2025-06-27T16:50:33Z")
We have Trump because manly men thought Democrats were hurting their fee-fees by insulting their manly manliness and Democrats didn’t do enough to convince them otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197/37 "2025-06-27T16:54:34Z")
People who post their own opinions in Factual Questions threads are why we have Trump. ---
**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, 2025, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197/38 "2025-06-27T17:13:43Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > We have Trump because manly men thought Democrats were hurting their fee-fees by insulting their manly manliness and Democrats didn’t do enough to convince them otherwise. Disagree. If that was the case, John McCain would have won in 2008, Mitt Romney\* would have won in 2012, and Trump would have won in 2020. Those guys are the base. They aren’t the swing voters that determine the outcomes. \*. Yeah, I know that Romney wouldn’t have been running in 2012 had McCain won in 2008. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197/39 "2025-06-27T17:19:03Z")
No, you agree with me. As the OP stated, this thread is for specious arguments, which I think mine is. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197/40 "2025-06-27T17:19:12Z")
For god’s sake. Maybe there should be yet another P&E thread on why Harris lost the election, so that people could go post their opinions there? It’s kind of amazing how folks must rehash this, in a thread making fun of it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-trump/1020197.md?page=3)