To think Trump couldn’t be the better option.

[Friedeggs9876]

Republicans - congratulations on your win today…To Trump supporters and non voters, please help me understand. I’m reaching out from a place of genuine respect and curiosity, and I hope my questions will be taken in this spirit. I’m really interested in hearing about your perspective and understanding the reasons behind your decision to vote for Donald Trump over Kamala Harris in this election. Or perhaps you decided to actively withhold your vote because you couldn’t vote red - in which case I’d be interested to hear your reasons for doing so.

Here are some points I’ve picked up on IG and in the news, and I’d love your insights on these:

1. U.S. Policy in Gaza

Lots of people seem concerned about the Biden-Harris administration’s approach to the conflict in Gaza, with some believing that Trump would take steps to end what many people view as the awful injustices happening there. I can see how this issue is deeply painful and personal for many people. However, I wonder if the U.S. position might be more influenced by larger financial and diplomatic interests that would remain steady regardless of which party holds power.

1. Quality of Life Under Different Administrations

• I’ve also heard that life seemed better for many Americans during Trump’s first term, whereas the Biden-Harris administration has been associated with more economic hardships. To this, I’d suggest that some of the difficulties we’ve faced recently - such as inflation, rising interest rates, and oil prices - might have been influenced by global factors beyond any one administration’s control, such as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

1. Character and legal issues -

I’m curious about voters’ perspectives on Trump’s recent convictions and legal issues, including charges of fraud and sexual assault. How do these issues impact - if at all - your view of him as a candidate? I’m genuinely interested in understanding how his supporters weigh these factors and whether they feel these issues affect his ability to lead.

1. The environment and project 2025 -

I’d love to hear thoughts from voters on Trump’s environmental policies and, in particular, on the objectives of Project 2025. As I understand it, the project seeks to roll back regulations on climate policies, aiming for increased energy independence and industrial growth. For those who supported Trump, how do you weigh these environmental decisions and the potential impacts on climate change against economic or other policy benefits? This project is also set to have a massively detrimental impact on women’s rights and that of the LGBQT+ community, restricting women’s rights to reproductive health, workplace protections and equality to name a few. As a Trump supporter how do you feel about how these policies might affect your family and loved ones? I’d love to understand how these issues are prioritised among his supporters.

If you’re comfortable sharing, I’d be grateful to hear your thoughts on these or any other reasons that helped guide your decision. My intention here is to listen and learn, not to argue, and I hope this post will open an honest and respectful conversation. Thanks in advance to anyone who chooses to respond!

It's like asking Brexit supporters to come up with a comprehensive and realistic plan to leave the EU and benefit the UK.

That went swimmingly.

Yeah, you've missed the point. That's the false narrative the media has been spreading for years about Trump. They loved him until he decided to run for office with the Republicans. When over half of a country country votes for someone that you find abhorrent do you think the truth is that 70 million people are racist women haters or that the information you've been given is possibly false?

I voted for Trump via mail-in. Since you seem to have asked out of genuine curiosity:

My biggest issue is illegal immigration. I want immigration to be heavily restricted.

My hometown is close to Springfield Ohio. They dumped 20,000 Haitians in a town of 60,000 and it has been a disaster for locals. I see this (and Charleroi PA, where a town of 4,000 got 2,000 Haitians) and I know 1000% I do not want this for my hometown. Nobody wanted nor voted for this.

I also prefer lower taxes, as I don’t think public institutions are good at spending taxpayer money wisely. I have come to the conclusion that government money in things like higher education has only led to ever increasing costs with no better outcomes.

I am not overly concerned with climate change, as I think adapting via infrastructure is the better way to go. And I think Europe/UK is fucking moronic not to develop a fracking industry. You can see that carbon emissions have dropped along with that uptick in fracking because we’ve switched coal for cleaner gas.

We do not have to compromise our living standards to have cleaner air/water/good infrastructure.

And abortion is no longer a national issue. So the Deep South can wrestle with the question. For the rest of us, we can move onto other issues.

Interesting view point. I'm being honest and to me it's abundantly obvious that Trump is not a legally sound individual and it doesn't take a lot of biased Democrat mud slinging to find things to convict him on. He has a history of non payment to creditors, lying, cheating and has dubious relationships with unsavoury leaders.
To me at least, it's puzzling how Trump supporters don't see this. If they were being honest with themselves it's more that they don't care

But none of this explains why poor Americans vote for Trump. It is completely against their own self interest

But aren't they/you concerned about issues like the rights of women? Women have already died as a result of not being able to access care when pregnant

The basic rights of 50% of the population supersedes everything else imo

In terms of finances, I'm nuts seeing how high tariffs will help the average American. Imports are not all able to be produced in the US by a long shot. So prices will increase enormously and choice will decrease. How is this serving average people?

That the only world leaders who support Trump are despots and dictators is surely a pretty huge red flag no?

But none of this explains why poor Americans vote for Trump. It is completely against their own self interest

Why do you believe this?

Well , there were quite a few drug stories in Spare, weren't there? However, he's a white Prince, so he seems to get a pass.
We shall see.

Some poor Hispanics were interviewed on Sky. They were alarmed at the cost of living. It seemed to be about the economy.

I couldn’t be further from a Trump supporter and would never vote for a right wing party, but will try and put across a balanced view:

1. i don’t think the average American would be aware that issues such as recent inflation were a global issue and if they were I think they’d very much expect their administration to bring it under control. I also don’t think the average American would see the support given to Ukraine as ‘essential’ as Europeans tend, given they are not in Europe and the possibility of nuclear war with Russia is hardly going to be a voting issue at this time (might have figured 2 years ago)
2. I’d have thought following Tuesday that the criminal convictions and everything the democrat campaign says about Trump (ie wannabe fascist dictator) has been very much interpreted as a slur campaign against him and therefore not necessarily accepted as true. I think the generally accepted view here is that it is all true and most of what comes out of his mouth is complete crap but I think we have to accept that the majority in America seem to have a different take on it?
3. I also think that Americans (particularly right leaning) tend to take a less global view and individual freedom is much higher on the agenda, so concerns about the environment and global impact will be very low on the agenda for the average American. I think it is quite similar here in that most aren’t really concerned or aren’t willing to change voluntarily and the environment isn’t really a voting issue, but something global agreements must force governments to act to change behaviour.

How does exporting our emissions to China whilst crushing British industry with punitive taxes and regulations help the climate? We're just creating more pollution by importing everything at huge cost from countries with terrible records whilst our quality of life craters, so that Miliband can pat himself on the back (whilst he claims his heating costs back via expenses).

Trump is obviously hideous for women’s rights but he’s against trans ideology.

Women's rights isn't just the right to abortion access. It's also the right to women-only spaces, women's sports, all the issues affecting women that the trans ideology affects. Those are women's rights too!

@Friedeggs9876 before he joined big pharma my brother was a pharmaceutical sciences Professor. He has done research on cancer drugs. His name is on a couple of patents and he has the trophy’s on his desk. So though a Trump supporter and money loving for sure he has made a huge difference to humanity with his teaching and research.

@downwindofyou I do not know any poor Americans. I can only give the perspective of knowing very successful non white immigrants. Overall Americans are not ashamed of having money. People want more money in their pocket. People on MN that announce they would happily pay more tax I don’t think that the majority feel that way especially in America. It is so culturally different.

There is so much misinformation on this thread I can't begin to address it. But character matters to me and I can't you excuse Trump's fascist rhetoric.

The more I think about it, I think that the right wing better exploited big tech and big data targeting swing state voters favouring Trump on their personal hot issues and this was a determining factor nobody seems to mention. I'm American and in my anecdotal evidence of people I grew up with, Trump voters are either not very bright and easily manipulated, evangelical, greedy or just a$$holes. Facts don't seem to count.

The democrats failed to advertise the accomplishments of the Biden administration which should have been touted more - people were finally seeing positive changes in badly needed infrastructure and new manufacturing jobs but Trump was able to paint a more dystopian picture. Yes prices are high, but that's a global issue and is due to inflation (better in the U.S. than anywhere else in the world) and corporate price-gouging.

I voted against Trump but I'm so disappointed in my fellow Americans I'm ready to renounce as it is a major pain to be an American abroad and I'm done.

Want to add I'm originally from NYC area and I've known Trump to be a nasty racist grifter predator my whole life and personally know people with personal and business experiences of him in the 80s.

I think we need to get past the ‘uneducated’ voter idea and consider the whys. The majority of PPs on here get it, but there are also the slightly hysterical posters who simply cannot and will not try to understand that others have a different view/ experience of the world to them.
I don’t like Trump, I wouldn’t have voted for him, but I can understand why people did. The X post up thread captured it perfectly.
I cannot begin to explain someone else’s experience and I am not condoning any behaviours, but I can see why people have voted for Trump.
The lefts view can appear to the underprivileged to be telling them what’s best for them. Having to pay more for energy because of climate change, paying more in taxes and then seeing illegal immigrants being given handouts. The right have given them the excuses, someone to blame. I am more central thinking than I have ever been in my life, having held left beliefs up until now.
nannying people while increasing the cost of living isn’t going to win over the people already struggling to make ends meet.
Stop thinking that you know what’s best for people and find out what they actually need and I think you’ll get more of an idea of why Trump got elected.

nannying people while increasing the cost of living isn’t going to win over the people already struggling to make ends meet.

But when pretty much every reputable economist agrees that Trump's economic plans are going to make the economy worse, but people either don't see that news because of the media diet they consume, or refuse to believe the experts, they are literally uneducated voters.

This.

And what about his history of staffing his cabinet and how most now generals call him dangerous and even his ex-VP wouldn't endorse him. He cosies up to totalitarian dictators and wants to be one. Look at the tragedies he casts aside, like Rudy Giuliani, children who still haven't reunited with parents, etc. I worry for when the guardrails of sane experienced officials are gone and he surrounds himself and staffs the government with loyalists.

I hire people as part of my job sometimes and there are so many red flags, it makes no rational sense and he isn't fit for having access to nuclear codes, FFS, I wouldn't trust him alone in a room with a young girl!

I'm so sick of this shit being normalised and sanewashed...

By this I mean the post before me saying how all economists know his tariff plan will hurt more than help Americans' personal finances.

I’m reaching out from a place of genuine respect and curiosity, and I hope my questions will be taken in this spirit. I’m really interested in hearing about your perspective and understanding the reasons behind your decision to vote for Donald Trump over Kamala Harris in this election

No you aren't.

People have stopped believing these left wing "experts" (academics) as most of what they say turns out to be complete bullshit.

The actual finance experts, the traders, are happy Trump is in, as the US markets all went up after he won.

To quote Rory Sutherland 'to economists, price is a number. To everyone else, price is a feeling'.

The Biden administration has seen ordinary people's bills go up, up and up. Yet the democrat campaign didn't even really acknowledge this, let alone convince anyone they were going to address it. I feel that the republicans are at least talking about an important issue for people. However imperfectly they propose to tackle it.

The vast majority of voters are not reading economists on this issue and wouldn't particularly value what they have to say if they did.

Not all the people who voted for him could have been uneducated?

What plans for the economy was Harris proposing? She was asked what she would do different than Biden in an interview and she did not know what to say. Also, some economists are very left leaning so depends really. I would be careful to use the word uneducated. Some of the things the Dems were saying were so easy to check if people really wanted to find out. Float voters do this. People who are set on who to vote because they are married to a party not matter what won’t. However, he won big so people must have been really unhappy with the government and dreaded the idea of Harris.

This. We are slowly becoming a nation of people hiding in their homes, waiting for the food delivery with mainly imported food, waiting for the Amazon delivery bringing more cheap Chinese rubbish. Meanwhile, manufacturing and farming die and those young, predominantly men, who aren't academic feel more and more displaced with no meaningful job roles and end up becoming delivery drivers and voting Reform because they are angry.