Why Do Trumps Supports Continue to Support Him

What Do Donald Trump Voters Actually Want?

30 of the billionaire real-estate developer's backers offer individual explanations for their support.

Jim Young / Reuters

Last week, I asked Donald Trump supporters why they believe that the billionaire real-estate developer will treat them any better than the career politicians they mistrust.

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The dozens of replies that I received from across the United States make up the largest collection I've encountered of Trump supporters setting forth their thinking in their own words. And having read through this non-representative sample, I understand the candidate's rise better than I did before. Broadly speaking, the men and women who wrote fall into two categories: Those who earnestly believe that Trump is the best choice to lead America and those who are motivated by giddyness at the chaotic spectacle of his success. Of course, anyone polling at the top of a major party is going to have supporters with all sorts of backgrounds and worldviews, and while the correspondence below includes several recurring themes, many of the rationales are singular.

The table of contents has internal links for those who want to jump to a given entry, but don't rely too heavily on the titles and short excerpts that I've chosen: Many of the responses contained so many rationales that summing them up proved impossible. Below the table of contents you may find all the letters, presented in their full text, in no particular order.

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Table of Contents

1. A Liberal Who Wants America to Win––"I feel that Trump is our only hope in this next election. This is coming from someone who voted for Obama in the last election!"

2. An Anarchist Who Revels in Destruction––"Like the joker from The Dark Knight, I just want to see the world burn."

3. Trump Is Low Risk, High Reward––"I will vote for Donald Trump (and to a lesser extent Bernie Sanders) because he represents hope … And how much damage can he really do?"

4. Trump Has a Drive for Perfection––"He will expect greatness from us, he will tell us how to get to great, he will inspire people to be better than they are and have the hope that their efforts will not be thwarted by bigger government."

5. 'I Just Want to Watch the Chaos …'––"I'm a young guy who is immature, a bit antisocial, and with no plans for kids or a wife ever. At some level, I don't really care how things go with America as long as it's fun to watch."

6. Trump Is a Moderate Compromiser––"His problem, according to the rest of the GOP, is that he wants single-payer health care and that he doesn't want to completely defund Planned Parenthood. I don't agree with him but why is it a bad thing to be moderate? A moderate has a special ability to be a liaison between the parties."

7. Trump Is a Corrective to American Culture's Pathologies––"The preeminence of political correctness among the culture class indicates a momentous shift away from formerly prominent middle-class cultural values towards something entirely different. Even if Donald Trump were to accomplish little in his presidency, there is a hope that were he president, he could in some way alter that prevailing Washington/media culture, and set a new cultural tone."

8. Trump Knows It's All a Joke––"Many are right; it's not about trusting Trump; it's a collective middle finger to the establishment … Trump isn't stupid, he gets it. He knows the more outrageous, the better."

9. Trump Embodies the Rage of the White Middle Class––"Politicians spend no time helping them. Black lives matter more and illegal immigrants who break the law get a free pass. Evangelicals in this country no longer feel they have the right to religious freedom and have watched what they perceive as a sacred institution in marriage gutted. All the while, politicians they voted for to represent them just plain don't."

10. Desperate People Cast Desperate Votes––"Wall Street, the banks, and even illegal immigrants seem to be prospering more than the average American citizen. We are desperate."

11. Trump Has Successfully Run Large Organizations––"He leads an enormous, diversified organization that is worth billions. This requires leadership. Leadership, by the way, is different from knowledge. When you lead a large organization you set vision, goals and expect results. You do not know every detail of every level of your organization. You can't. The world is just too complicated. You delegate and empower. You can get information when you need it and the president has no shortage of people ready to educate him on issues."
12. Trump Is a Gamble Worth Taking––"I am of the belief that he is conceited and arrogant enough to avoid failing in front of the world at all cost."

13. Trump Is Jay Gatsby––"Is it not better to place your chips on hopes and dreams rather than certain nightmares? Those of us who buy Trump's vision, nearly to the point of blind trust, are loudly professing our disgust with the current immoral situations that taint and threaten our blueprint of the American dream."

14. Trump Is Bizarro Obama––"He's got what Obama had in 2007 except he doesn't have the press adoring him."

15. Trump Is the Picture of American Greatness––"Think about John F. Kennedy or Ronald Reagan inspiring the world with leadership. Think of Babe Ruth, Martin Luther King Jr., Fred Rogers. The American 20th Century was a great one. Now think about the American headlines of today. What do you think of? War? Poverty? Political division? Do we see greatness in America still on a daily basis or even in the movies? The Trump Family is the picture of the American Dream … When Donald Trump says that he wants to make America great again, I believe him."

16. Trump Will Govern as Steve Jobs Managed––"He will sucker in talent, tell them that their work is terrible, push them to achieve beyond what they think is possible, and then take credit for their successes as he tells America, and the world, that their projects are the best thing that has ever happened. This works. It's not pretty, but it works."

17. Trump Is an Alpha-Male Who Loves America, Unlike Obama––"Trump has never lied to me whereas all of the other Republican politicians (like McConnell & Boehner) have. They don't fight for my side. Nobody fights for my side. Trump fights. Trump wins. I want an Alpha Male who is going to take it to the enemy. I am tired of supporting losers."

18. Trump Did Build That––"ONLY TRUMP has ever BUILT any REAL THINGS."

19. Trump Has Consistently Championed Protectionism––"On the two primary issues as to why I'm supporting Mr. Trump he has remained stunningly consistent."

20. Trump Put Illegal Immigration Front and Center––"We have horrendous problem with illegal aliens, sanctuary cities & crimes."

21. Trump Has the Tiger by the Tail––"The Tiger is the common working man that is tired of Politics and Washington continuing to screw us over … We want to give a businessman the chance to prove that this country can be great again!"

22. Trump Is Not Rehearsed––"What you see is what you see, all the cards are on the table."

23. Trump's Nature Is to Make the Best Deals Possible––"While Trump may very well have his own best interests at heart it's ok: his best interest is our best interest and that best interest is our property values and our economy. When our economy tanks, his property values go DOWN! If anyone would be interested in saving our country, it would be someone whose salary is directly tied to the value of the country we call the USA!"

24. Trump Is the Lead in a Fabulous Mockumentary––"I'd vote for the candidate purely for the comedic value."

25. Bush Was a Disaster and Obama Felt Like One––"All a president has to do is not to be a completely incompetent moron, do a deal here and there, and make sure the most obvious things get done. It is really, really easy. But we can't get a candidate through the party system that is not a completely incompetent moron. And no, we don't think Donald Trump is in it to help us. Or anyone else other than himself. But he has his pride."

26. Trump Is an Egomaniac––"Because he is 'crazy impulsive' he has no qualms to step on toes when he is on a roll, and correctness (neither political or ethical) enters in his objective."

27. 14 Reasons for Supporting Trump––"He oversees 20 thousand employees in multiple business entities in successful pursuit of 100's of initiatives both domestic and worldwide."

28. Trump Has Successful Supporters––"I'm a college graduate, I have a Family, I work in an executive-level management position for a Fortune 500 company and I'm a homeowner. What I think you may find interesting is that I have a circle of friends, both men and women, who have similar concerns and backgrounds. We are all employed with excellent careers and we all are supporting Trump for President."

29. A Bernie Sanders Supporter Who'd Vote Trump Over Clinton––"While he might not deliver on his promises, he would certainly be a bull in the China shop of contemporary American politics, which has long needed destroying and rebuilding."

30. Trump Could Make the Speech Police Go Away––"I'm in my early 30s and I grew up in San Francisco in a liberal home. And I have a very difficult time keeping up with all the various appropriate and inappropriate terms used to reference people and their causes. Trump makes brash and uncompromising statements about issues many people feel very passionate about."

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A Liberal Who Wants America to Win

I have been a liberal practically all of my life (29 years). I am an atheist, and my first ever Presidential vote was cast for John Kerry. I more or less despised George Bush, and even though I leaned toward Hillary in 2008, I voted for Obama in 2012. I support gay marriage, legalization of marijuana, and many other liberal positions.

I do, however, believe that our country is in a terrible position and on a terrible track. Trump strikes many of my nerves, but one of the most accurate and dangerously true statements he has made is that "America doesn't win anymore." I agree. The world is rising while America falls. America and its leaders seem resigned to this fact. Rather than stiffening their spine and fighting to make America a prosperous nation for all, they simply talk, go through the motions, throw out a few "red meat" issues to keep their respective bases satisfied, and continue to concede American jobs and economic strength to the rest of the world.

To friends and family, I have long railed against the fact that America uses Presidential rejects and other back-bench political cronies as their chief negotiators. John Kerry (yes, the man I voted for) was out-negotiated time and time again by his Russian counterpart. And now, it appears that the same thing has happened once again with the Iran negotiators. This all ties back to the same fundamental thread: politicians have failed this country, leading to one loss after another.

I do not believe that I am a racist, sexist, homophobic, or any other negative label that has been affixed to Trump supports. Rather, I feel that political correctness has run amok in this country, and we now live in a society where every blogger and Twitter user is searching for the slightest offense so they can try to ruin another human (famous, or not). The average person is afraid of expressing any controversial opinion in a public forum for fear of being "exposed," made viral, and ruined, personally and/or professionally. It is heartening to see someone as confident and impervious to criticism as Trump standing up to this ever-present mob … and winning! People tend to support the underdog. Most media outlets have attacked Trump with so much vitriol that they have turned him into a sympathetic figure.

Yes, I really do feel that Donald Trump has the interests of America at heart. He has already made his money and lived a life of glamour and fame, and another few billion dollars won't have any real impact on his quality of life. Rather, I genuinely believe that Trump feels the need to fight for the country he loves. There once was a time when people could actually feel proud to be Americans, and Trump comes from a generation that experienced that feeling. Now, many are embarrassed to be associated with this country. Jobs are being outsourced with reckless abandon and this country is literally being hollowed out. Economic statistics do no justice to this reality, and the average American knows this to be true.

Trump supporters feel that a confident, strong-willed leader is needed to right the ship and to fight back against the perpetual decline this country has experienced for the last two-plus decades. And to be honest, I feel that Trump is our only hope in this next election. This is coming from someone who voted for Obama in the last election! Anyway, that's my story and the main reasons why I support Trump. I didn't plan out this response for days or try to make this all-inclusive, but this should give you a fair idea of why I, a liberal, support Donald Trump for president.

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An Anarchist Who Revels in Destruction

I would like to offer my reasoning for supporting Trump. I know he would do a pretty terrible job at this point, but I really am at the point of letting the whole thing burn down and explode. Trump would help us get there faster and more efficiently. Like the joker from The Dark Knight, I just want to see the world burn. I guess I am an anarchist in that respect. Once it's all burnt down maybe we can have that constitutional convention we really need to fix things and get this country back on track if it still exists. Happy Friday. If you do decide to publish please include the email signature below.

Sent from NSA Monitored Device

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Trump Is Low-Risk, High-Reward

I will vote for Donald Trump (and to a lesser extent Bernie Sanders) because he represents hope. The two party system has a stranglehold on the voting public. Our choices are limited to way left or way right. There is no party that represents me: a socially responsible, economic conservative. A vote for Trump is the first step in breaking up the two-party system. Two parties to represent 300 million people? Please … And how much damage can he really do? We still have 2 more branches of government to protect us. The risk is small––and the potential for political change is great. Do I want to make conception the beginning of life? No! Do I want another garbage pile of a bloated bill like the ACA? No! (By the way where is the affordable part of the ACA?) A vote for Trump is my vote against both parties. A Trump win is the Hope & Change that Obama promised but couldn't deliver.

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Trump Has a Drive for Perfection

Background: CPA, University of WI. Auditor of federal programs, business owner, father, husband, former vice-chair of county Republicans. CFO and consultant to several mid-sized companies. Christian. I do not expect anyone to vote like I would on every issue. I do not expect that abortion will end, I do not expect that policy will favor me. No one will end all wars. I live in the real world. We conservatives have received nothing but promises from the Republican Party for 35 years. I don't know how many times I have been asked to work hard for a moderate conservative with the promise that "once we get in we will listen to your side." Never happens. Of course, I did not have an extra 100K to donate to them either.

I have no expectations of Trump except that he will attempt to make America great again. I expect that he will take his drive for perfection on his properties and actually figure out how to make America better. Will he do it my way? No. Will he hold all my values? No. Will I like all his methods or results? No. He will expect greatness from us, he will tell us how to get to great, he will inspire people to be better than they are and have hope that their efforts will not be thwarted by bigger government.

He will not put up with the BS of the world dictators, not because he threatens to nuke them but because they don't know what he might do. He will negotiate and do it from strength.

He could take the "black lives matter" group and show them how to make black lives matter. Who else could take a Section 8 housing project and give the people who live there a chance to see it as great and help to transform it into just that? If he invested our money in it, he would expect it to be great. Would it be opulent? No, but it could be a functional place where they could learn to make something great and then translate that to a sustainable living. Who else in the field of candidates has the tenacity to make things great? Who else has made payroll, put up with regulations, paid vendors, made customers happy enough to come back, and then paid 35 percent of his profit to an inefficient, deceptive, self-serving government?

I have done tax returns for many, many years. For the "rich" and the poor, the successful and those whose businesses have failed. I have heard many promises from politicians about fixing our tax system, but none of them understand the reality of the pain or the stupidity of our tax laws like I believe Trump does. He uses the current system to pay minimal taxes, just like all my clients do. Good for him. Because of his history, I believe he could/would put H&R Block out of business, and kill my (tax) business too. I look forward to him being successful in that.

Are there other candidates in the field I like? Yes. But I think they might try to get along with everyone in Washington. I don't want someone to get along with people in Washington. I want someone who is willing to tell many in Washington "You're Fired."

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'I Just Want to Watch the Chaos …'

I wanted to explain why I'd vote for Trump. There are 2 main reasons:

1. His desire to be a successful president to feed his ego could paradoxically motivate him to be an extremely willing, conscientious delegater, surrounding himself with effective political operatives so he could stick to his strength of being a showman.

2. Partly I just want to watch the chaos unfold if a purely ego-driven man were to experience success with a presidential run. I'm a young guy who is immature, a bit antisocial, and with no plans for kids or a wife ever. At some level, I don't really care how things go with America as long as it's fun to watch, like watching a basketball game when your favorite team isn't playing. I hope this sheds light.

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Trump Is a Moderate Compromiser

I started taking him seriously when he explained why he wants to run for president: Simply because he wants to make America great again. You could say bull, he's just in it for himself. But being president is not very lucrative in comparison to his current position. He gave up hundreds of millions of dollars by leaving The Apprentice. He makes $400 million a year doing what he does right now. This tells me something about Trump. He truly wants to help. He isn't in it for the money because the opportunity cost of him being president instead of doing other things is massive. If he only wanted money he would not be running for president.

And he is a moderate. The political parties have a huge problem where they always select the candidates that have the same exact views as them. Trump's problem, according to the rest of the GOP, is that he wants single-payer health care and that he doesn't want to completely defund Planned Parenthood. I don't agree with him but why is it a bad thing to be moderate? A moderate has a special ability to be a liaison between the parties. In my opinion, a president should be the president, the leader, the idol of the entire population. That is not possible with someone who is far left or far right. That alienates 50% of the country. A moderate can be the president of everyone. He can compromise, give a little, take a little.

Trump is capable of this.

So are other candidates, but show me someone who knows negotiation like Trump. He can take two opposing views and negotiate until everyone is happy. (Trump is not partisan as his past switches between parties shows). You may say he flip-flops on ideas. To me that shows fluidity, the ability to see what the people want and understand their views and act on those. Current politicians could care less what we want.

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Trump Is a Corrective to American Culture's Pathologies

Although I am not yet committed to any candidate, I nevertheless do see the value in a Donald Trump candidacy. To be entirely honest, his appeal is more emotional than rational. I know this is not the best way to begin an endorsement, but having admitted that, I still believe he is the right candidate for today's America.

Trump hasn't elaborated much on any practical policy endeavors he would pursue. However, I think the bulk of his appeal comes through his defiance of the prevailing culture of political correctness among the media and academia. Although a seemingly minor issue relative to the economy or foreign policy, political correctness ignites conservative blogs and social media more than anything else. Beyond speech codes, "trigger warnings," or Twitter outrage mobs, the preeminence of political correctness among the culture class indicates a momentous shift away from formerly prominent middle-class cultural values and towards something entirely different. Even if Donald Trump were to accomplish little in his presidency, I think there is a hope that were he president, he could in some way alter that prevailing Washington/media culture and set a new cultural tone.

Many would probably question why, of all people, a decadent, rude, and pompous billionaire should be trusted to meddle with American culture? I think it comes down to a perception that America has already drowned in a post-modernist nightmare of moral relativism, from which extreme political correctness and protest culture stem. Trump, on the other hand, is all absolutes. Everything he says, accurate or not, is stated in absolute, definitive terms. His personal morality is clear: He respects people who work hard, are loyal, innovate, and "win," and he shuns those who don't meet the criteria. Cruel as it may sound, I think America needs to reenergize these fundamental cultural values before we can ever hope to create a better society.

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Trump Knows It's All a Joke

Why trust Trump? The political system has been set up against the public for years. There is no difference between the Republicans and Democrats; they are just tools to divide & conquer the people. The presidency is a joke! Trump is the wild card. Do I trust him? Not necessarily, but I definitely don't trust a lot of the other "candidates".

It really doesn't matter who becomes president; it still doesn't give the American people any power. At least with Trump, I'll be greatly entertained & maybe, just maybe, he can shake up the system. Many are right; it's not about trusting Trump; it's a collective middle finger to the establishment. A side note: do you know how the middle finger got its meaning? It started during a war, when one side cut off the rebels' bow-shooting fingers. The rebels learned to shoot their bows w/their middle fingers and lifted their middle fingers in defiance at the next battle. Basically saying, no matter what you do, we will continue to fight for our freedom: the epitome of rebellion.

Trump is the voice of some Americans. And that voice isn't saying we hate illegal immigrants lol. It's saying that we are sick of the corrupt political system, we know the game and we're done playing it. If that means making Trump president, so be it. Hell, if Bozo the clown was running, I would vote for him. It would more accurately portray what I think of the government and politicians lol. Trump isn't stupid, he gets it. He knows the more outrageous, the better. He knows it's all a joke.

It's just amazing that you don't.

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Trump Embodies the Rage of the White Middle Class

I still have reservations about Trump. However, these reservations have nothing to do with his flip-floppy character or his arrogant and selfish demeanor. It has more to do with his lack of effectively communicating what his policies would be and what his plan for the country is. We shall see if he can develop positions strong enough to sway the electorate. That's not what I wrote to you to say though. Deep down many Americans know our country is in a state of total failure. That's true for folks on the left and the right. We know that our futures have been sold and that our children's futures have been sold. We know that every politician we have to choose from is a liar and a flip-flopper. With all due respect, Obama is chief of these as of late and even many of his past supporters know this now.

Speaking from the right, I believe that Trump embodies the frustration and rage of the white middle class. This is his main support base and is an ever shrinking group that no longer feels they have a voice. Politicians pay lip service to the middle class but spend no time helping them. Black lives matter more and illegal immigrants who break the law get a free pass. Evangelical Christians in this country no longer feel that they have the right to religious freedom and have watched what they perceive as a sacred institution in marriage gutted. All the while, politicians they voted for to represent them just plain don't. Now enter Trump.

This is a guy who isn't afraid to abuse the abuser. He has and will continue to humiliate the establishment politicians who try to stand up to him by exposing them for who they are. He will lash out at reporters and media crudely and without tact simply because he can. His supporters feel vindicated when he attacks those people who have misled them, a small satisfaction when your way of life is fading away.

I can't disagree that he is just like them and that he is pandering to that base I just

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Source: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/08/donald-trump-voters/401408/

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