AIBU to be curious about Trump supporters

[workhomesleeprepeat]

Not looking to start a bun fight! Long time lurker first time AIBU poster. Bit random but am curious!

I would consider myself liberal politically and generally in support of things that would probably be considered v left wing for the States (free healthcare etc). A lot of my friends are the same. Even the friends I do have in the States are not Republicans. So I am probably in an echo chamber of opinions really.

But I find myself so curious to know what the average Trump supporter really thinks of how he is handling the presidency and recently the pandemic. After watching that interview he did recently on Axios, I couldn't help but think there's something more to it all...so many people on my sm laugh about how 'dumb' he is, but he is basically front page news all the time. Who benefits from this? What's going on the in the background? Is it just him being random or is there some kind of strategy

I have read that Joe Biden is now ahead of him in the polls, but especially now that we can't travel - I doubt I am going to get the chance to ask a Trump supporter what they really think. Are there any on here that do support him or the way he's doing things and willing to discuss?

Before anyone asks why not about politics in the UK or Boris or whatever, I do have similar questions, but I guess the recent interview with Trump really made me wonder what his supporters think, whether this recent period in history has made them consider their position. Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask this question! I know this part of the site gets a lot of traffic.

@PamDenick

As I understand it, there is an almost religious fervour to being a 'patriotic American'. In fact, it seems to me that the main religion in America is being American. They think Trump represents that, and, like all religions, logic or reason don't come in to it.

Yes, you have it in a nutshell. Trump appeals to those who do not think for themselves and many who are uneducated. They dislike immigrants so he jumped on that bandwagon and he is changing the abortion laws.

I know someone who supports him because he is a pro-lifer, no other reason at all. This personal also calls Trump 'a Christian' when anything less would not be possible.

A quotation I heard in relation to both candidates, ‘it’s like choosing which STI you’d prefer’

It boggles my mind but they get all their info from Fox News and their Facebook groups who spin a very different image of Trump (strong, Christian, successful).

I think the Christian thing is what baffles me most. I understand that he courted the Christian right and got their vote through his pro life promises. But I don't understand how people see him as a great upholder of Christian values because on what planet is being a three times married, serial womaniser, who has been recorded saying he can grab women by the pussy (I'm shuddering just typing that) an upholder of Christian values? Then there's mocking the disabled, worshiping money, and very distinctly not loving his neighbour (unless his neighbour is wealthy, white and male). And yet there he is, apparently the defender of Christian values.

On a different note, I also live somewhere that people mostly vote not for who they agree with, but as a tactical vote to keep those who they despise out of power. So as much as I detest Trump, and I really really do, I can understand the mentality of having voted for him to keep someone else out, rather than out of a desire to vote him in.

I have some Democrat voting American friends but they both come from southern states so have access via fb to a lot of trump supporters.

Amazing how often abortion comes up as a reason to vote for Trump. A lot of these evangelical Christians believe democrats are “baby killers” & because of that they would never vote for that party. Fascinates me that they don’t want to offer that same baby and it’s family good healthcare from birth.

The average middle class republican also has more money in the bank since he was elected & sadly people often vote selfishly.

It’s like a cult to me - he can do anything or say anything & a part of the population just blindly agree with him. I’m also convinced he’ll be re-elected 😢 as are my miserable democrat voting friends

Imho .... Trump has 2 sets of supporters ... Republicans & Working Class ... It mirrors U.K. Conservatives at the moment. What Labour & Dems are missing by a mile is the working class vote in both countries is counter-revolutionary! The left in both countries had one job, to ensure the Working Class had Jobs and a Welfare Net .... they failed, the unions failed, the safety net failed and the left ran down the rabbit hole of Liberal Revolutionary Identity Politics & Tech Globalisation both of these issues are very middle class ... the EU is middle class ...look who gets hit hardest when Globalisation, EU & Corporate Identity politics take centre stage? The working class ... Labour as a socialist party should, given its history been the Brexit Party given current economics... Corbyn started out on that then turned tail ( a habit he had for decades). He lost the Working Class! Obama promised the Working Class but delivered for the middle class.

The EU from a Working Class perspective has decimated Spain, Portugal and Greece, while lifting France, U.K. & Germany! Austerity hit U.K. & US hard ...who paid the price? The working class.

You have a perfect storm of tech taking jobs, globalism taking jobs, EU thinning out jobs .... now US & UK are left with a service economy of poor pay, long hours and zero safety net adding to poor health in an NHS strapped for cash ...and all Dems & Labour are doing is pushing Identity and grumping soundbites to the other side of the house.

Hidden behind our one size fits all shiny city centres, cafes, bars and restaurants, mortgages, cars and student debt are vast swathes of people who can't get a job, work 3-4 jobs and still can't feed their kids, paying extortionate rents on increasingly slum property.

And where are the Dems & Labour? Mired in middle class revolutionary identity politics, the unions doing nothing but chuntering and those who see this are too mired down in debt to make waves.

When Trump & Johnson spoke ...they used forked tongues to say to the working class ...we see you, we see you want local jobs, local services, local security ... it matters not that they won't deliver because neither will the left ...

The working class voted right to make a point to the left ...the left haven't heard them, they demonised them. We allowed ourselves to fall for "we can have it all" without considering if we really could afford it economically or socially. Nordic Models fair a bit better while deeper Debt rules us now and for the foreseeable future and the Dems & Labour don't know how to fix it without accruing more debt which the working class believe they will have to carry again 😢

The Trimvirate State ... Govt, Court, Society has a systemic tell, when family court starts to fail Women & Children, it was supposed to be a red light to systemic failure, that red light turned on very brightly circa 1995 .... it's so bright now in the U.K. & US but no one is looking and the situation is getting dire out there for Women & children.

Well that's my thoughts from speaking to Brexit voters & US working class pals ... we are in systemic failure across the globe ...who will blink first and who will carry the can? The Academy should be aiding Govts & Society out of this but The Academy itself is in meltdown from Corporate Profits & Pressure, research and ideology submitting to corporate demand over academic rigour.

How the next phase of systemic failure will play out, we will find out soon but I fear it will be more of the same until once again the poor rise up 😢 Just some of my thoughts. ❤️

I think the Dems have become a very urban party and small town and rural America has felt unheard for a while by both parties until Trump.