Why America voted for Trump, a simple, sane summary

[Bippy2024]

This is why Trump won so resoundingly - this is why 72 million Americans voted for him - in one of his voter's own words.

If you choose to monster and slur 72 million people, that's saying a lot about you. Every accusation is a confession.

"I know a lot of people who voted for Trump. Let me tell you their reasons.
They wanted a return to normalcy. Gender ideology is just too out there. They want to protect women and children.

The economy has been disastrous for them. They didn’t have a cushion to absorb the inflation. They are cutting out everything in their lives just to afford food. And some are cutting that out.

Their lives have gotten very small. When they tried to tell you, they were told they shouldn’t splurge on things like a frozen pizza.

They see people coming illegally into this country and being handed stuff. Their stuff. Their money is being handed over. They have nothing. They watch as others are just handed more than they have.

They can’t afford rent and don’t know what to do. More people fighting for the same housing units makes prices rise.

They see a frightening turn towards censorship. They value the first amendment. Remember, it’s very important. They are so tired of being lied to and called terrible names.

Every time the mainstream media made up a story to make people hysterical they rolled their eyes. This pushed more and more people away. They stopped having any faith in the media. A firing squad? Really?

They feel the hysteria is toxic and frightening. Again they want this all to calm down.

They watch as political protests are punished for only one side. They see crime running rampant.

They see the people who try to protect us from crime being punished. The criminals go free to re-offend.

Essentially, they want their children to be healthy, they want their family to be fed, they don’t want endless war, they want things to be fair, they want the bad guys punished and the good guys appreciated, they want to protect women and children.

I hope if you are frightened today you will hear me. I hope I can help you see that things are not dire. I hope I can help you see that these were regular everyday folks who want regular everyday things. Food, clothing, shelter, privacy, respect for boundaries.

That’s it. Just those things. Peace."

https://x.com/babybeginner/status/1854179213399502850

"I disagree entirely, I think it's horrifying to accuse 17.5 million of your fellow citizens of being xenophobic based on nothing but your own perception and the fact that they disagree with you."

Except I didn't.

I based it on the findings from social research.

You can continue not to learn - which is what you've demonstrated right here. You read what I said and decided not to look at the evidence I linked to I also didn't accuse 17 million people of being xenophobic. I said the Brexit vote was 'driven by xenophobia' - which signifies I think it was a significant factor, and evidence suggests I'm correct.

There's also evidence from social research that the Brexit campaign and vote led to an upsurge in hate crime and discrimination against EU nationals living in the UK.

I'm not going to keep checking in, it's time consuming, I might get back here in a day or two.

But I really appreciate the reasonable comments and those who haven't tried to put words in my mouth or make claims that I've made statements I haven't made.

There is a huge lesson to be learned from Trump's massive victory - calling people racists/xenophobes/hateful/phobic/bigots doesn't work. It will lose you votes not win them.

Stop screaming at people, if you want to change their minds. Of course that goes for both sides - but if you are the ones who are losing (as the left clearly were in the USA) and you resort to calling more than half your citizens garbage, as Joe Biden did, or having flaming melt downs on Tik Tok and Twitter, crying and screaming RACIST PHOBIC BIGOTS NAZIS at people who disagree with you - you're the one behaving like a racist, phobic, bigot and a Nazi.

These tactics don't win minds or votes. And no, 73 million Americans are not homicidal lunatics or (your choice of slur goes here) they just don't agree with you. Learn why they voted as they did, and we can make our way to back to Agree to Disagree - the foundation of a stable society.

And before you start shrieking BUT YOU CAN'T AGREE TO DISAGREE ON MY HUMAN RIGHTS read the statement I posted again. She was worried about her human rights. That's why she voted Trump.

If you cannot manage to stop shouting abuse at people who disagree with you, you will live and die a miserable existence, without changing a single mind.

That's up to you, entirely.

"There is a huge lesson to be learned from Trump's massive victory - calling people racists/xenophobes/hateful/phobic/bigots doesn't work. It will lose you votes not win them."

The 'huge lesson to be learned' is that sometimes holiding to deeply held moral principles is politically unpopular.

It's ok to call people racists bigots and xenophobes if they are racist bigots and xenophobes.

Trump's campaign was absolutely fuelled by xenophobic demagoguery - if you can't acknowlege this it's because you're disengaged from reality.

Democrat voters can NEVER support this - it's antithetical to their basic human values.

I don't want to win anyone over if winning them over means I have to be ok with disgusting xenophobic rhetoric and beliefs.

Oh - and nobody here is 'screaming at you'. They're criticising your values and your opinions, and they're perfectly entitled to do so.

When Trump was in the last time the economy was doing well until COVID. During Biden's reign the economy has crashed, inflation and prices are so high and Harris was right there with Biden. When asked on a TV show what she would have changed if she'd been the president instead of Biden she replied absolutely nothing as though everything was fine. People want the economy back on track. They want a better life for their DC.

I saw that interview that Harris did and frankly it was jaw dropping when she was asked what she would have done differently. Who in their right mind would have chosen to comment as she did. But that’s what she did.

Inflation has been high across all developed economies since the pandemic.

Biden bought inflation down further and faster than governments in the Eurozone.

Trump has no coherent economic plans. At all.

Economists don't support your view that Biden's economy is a disaster or that Trump can fix it.

The interview question re: what would you have done differently would have f*cked her whatever she had said. If she's said anything that sounded critical of Biden that would have been repeatedly used against her as a member of that administration taking responsibility for and admitting failure.

"When Trump was in the last time the economy was doing well until COVID"

Trump's economy before COVID was following the trajectory created by Obama.

I totally agree. But she still didn’t handle the question well. She could and should have been prepared and proactive with a positive answer for the future. She needed to distance herself from the past (though almost impossible to do) and present a future of hope, confidence and change.

That’s exactly what Trump did. He gave hope and confidence and a better future. Albeit a load of baloney but that’s what matters in elections. Aim high.

Except I said "stop screaming at people". Not "stop screaming at me" I don't allow people to re interpret my words to suit their agenda. It's interesting you assumed you were included in that too.

And except that you literally have no idea - none whatsoever - which if any of the 73 million US citizens who voted Trump and the 17.5 million of your fellow citizens who voted Brexit were your "insert slur".

If you actually think all of them are (your choice of slur) that doesn't augur well for your reasoning skills.

And if you think only some of them are, then slurring all of them is counterproductive, unrealistic and disingenuous.

You're either unable to comprehend these facts, or are unwilling to. Your comments are lazy, bigoted, opinion based and offer nothing new.

Wait, did you read that properly? I said your COMMENTS are those things - which they are. I did not say YOU are those things, as I don't know you from a bar of soap.

The reasons people voted Trump are the reasons in my original post. I get that you hate that - that's unfortunate for you.

You're determined to have the last word, though you've mainly offered name calling and doubling down. But the USA has had the last word on this matter, so that's that.

That's ok, you won't change, and that doesn't matter. Busy busy, must fly.

I'll be ignoring your repetitive posts from now on, so if I get back to the thread I won't respond to you again, because you refuse to engage in good faith, have learned nothing and refuse to even try.

And for no other reason, no matter what your interpretation or beliefs in the matter are :)

We won't talk again, I give you the last word. Good bye and good luck.

The economy is the US is actually doing fine - there is no crash. It's the high cost of living. However inflation has already dropped with wages increasing more than costs.

Unfortunately the average American won't be feeling that positive impact yet ... by the time they start feeling a tangible benefit from the current inflation/wages situation they'll think it was trump that did it!

potoftea, hmm.. well, I think we should def understand that plenty of US people felt unhappy about Trump's obvious faults, but were worried about gender ideology & the other crap the Democrats were promoting. But it doesn't mean we can't judge them as wrong & short sighted. His actions on Jan 6 prove he is dangerous. He encouraged the violent overthrow of the state. How is that safe?
Far right parties are in power in Hungary & until recently Poland. I can understand why, but still judge. If younger people had been able to vote in earlier years, Corbyn might have won. I'd still be happy to say they were wrong.

The Dems aren't much safer w their lying about Biden's dementia for heaven knows how long. But still not Trump levels of danger.

The price of groceries increased more than 20% during President Joe Biden’s first three years in office and exceeded wage growth. The Consumer Price Index for “food at home” rose from 252.7 on Jan. 1, 2021, to 305 in December 2023 — an increase of 20.7%.

During the first three years of President Donald Trump’s administration, the grocery index rose from 237 in January 2017 to 243 in December 2019 — an increase of 2.5%.

From January 2021 to early 2024, average rents rose by approximately 21.6%.

https://www.bls.gov/cpi/tables/home.htm

https://truthout.org/articles/rent-increases-are-driving-inflation-and-pessimism-about-economy-under-biden/

There may be complicated reasons, I'm sure there are. But whatever the reasons, people can't afford to fill trolleys or pay rent any more, and they are scared.

Telling them, as the Dems kept doing, to shut up about it and buy less take away coffee and stop being a racist bigot, helped nobody.

In many ways, people do not consider, or at least discount external factors, when voting for governments etc.

End of WW2 Labour voted in a landslide despite Churchill's popularity be ause they wanted change.

Brexit. Disillusionment with zero hours low pay lack of economic uncertainty. A lot of it due to austerity policies and trickle down economic policy. Predictable result of increased immigration and reduced economic growth leading to higher taxes. Ironic emphasis from all parties of unleashing economic growth ....

US ultimately the economy and cost of living. Trump has his mandate just like bozo did. Let's see if he manages to deliver better than bj did for us.

OP you complain about others being uncivil but you are pretty sneery yourself,

The 'busy busy too busy to talk to people I think are making stupid comments' attitude is especially grating.

Start a discussion or don't. Continue it or don't. But try to stop making out that you're more important/ more intelligent than everyone else, it's annoying.

(FWIW I largely agree with your actual point though I think there's more complexity to why the democrats lost).

Nope, nonsense.

But you already know that ;)

Busy, must fly, ciao!

PS, your right to free speech doesn't in any way, shape or form include the right to police mine 😅 But you keep trying to derail - as you'll do whatever you like anyway, just as I shall :)

What complexity? I think it's actually very much simpler than everyone wants to believe, as most things are. I think the woman who tweeted the statement above was telling the absolute truth, as she sees it.

For America's sake, I hope they all settle down, accept the democratically elected president and try to fashion a better society together, and I hope he does deliver. Only time will tell.

Mate, what on earth are you talking about?!! They were not accusing 17.5 million people of being xenophobic. Brexit was heavily influenced by right wing media. There was a lot unfounded fear mongering and lies presented as facts, and lot of anti immigrant rhetoric to boot, being led by a Tory government, which up to the most recent election, had spent the last 14 years dismantling and plundering almost all aspects of our society, for their own greed. The Brits were indeed sold a lie, and many people most definitely did not actually know what they were voting for. Brexit has been a complete disaster, and now, not even those who voted to leave, can name not one good thing about this very damaging event. Although Nigel Farage thinks Brexit had been successful, but there you.

You keep telling people that they can continue not to learn, change or listen and yet you can’t get your facts straight and continue to put people down. That’s what find horrifying. Stop putting people down to make yourself feel better.

OP you lost me when you posted ‘thick as fuck’.

Thanks for this.
I'm very interested in the cultural factors influencing the election of Trump, but I realise the economic stuff is probably more significant.
If Trump really does make these changes, introducing tariffs and all in an effort to promote U.S. manufacturing, I'll be really curious to see if the (neoliberal) economists turn out to be right.
It frustrates me to see, over and over again, the accusation that these working class people who can no longer afford to pay for groceries and electricity and rent even though they work full time because their wages haven't increased for thirty years, are ALSO racist, xenophobic bigots to be complaining about immigration. They're actually seeing the connection clear as day. The point of keeping immigration levels high is to keep wages low - to stimulate investment with bigger returns for those doing the investing (i.e. they don't lose as much of their profits to wages). Then the rising tide is supposed to lift all boats. Any first year economics course will point out the connection, clear as day. But somehow, when it comes to working class people making that connection, it must be because they're xenophobic racists.

"It frustrates me to see, over and over again, the accusation that these working class people who can no longer afford to pay for groceries and electricity and rent even though they work full time because their wages haven't increased for thirty years, are ALSO racist, xenophobic bigots to be complaining about immigration"

People supported Hitler because they felt that he had bought them out of the economic chaos of the post WW1 period and increased the feelings of security & national pride for German citizens.

Hitler also excoriated Jews in his public speeches - labelling them as evil criminals who were destroying the economic and social fabric of the nation and 'poisoning the blood' of German society.

Were the German citizens who listened to his antisemitic rhetoric and continued to support him, stood by as his troops rounded up these 'criminals and child killers' and removed them from German society - were they 'racists and bigots'? After all, they'd suffered hugely during the hyper inflation and depression of the 1930's.

@izimbra But Hitler and the German population who blamed Jewish people for their economic hardships were wrong. Whereas high rates of immigration /do/ keep wages low. That's economics 101. That's the neoliberal consensus and how the economies in the U.K., Australia and the U.S.A. have been run for decades (and other countries, too, I'm just not as well informed about Europe as the anglosphere).
I'm not saying we should be nice to xenophobic working class people because they're having a hard time. I'm saying, they're not xenophobic. They're observing the connection between immigration and wages that every economist on the planet acknowledges.

I also have no idea whether a protectionist approach will actually help to raise the standard of living of working class people.
I'll just be very interested to observe the results, if Trump actually gets around to making the protectionist economic changes he's said he'll make.
(I also don't have huge faith in his follow through. But, we'll see.)
AND for the avoidance of doubt, I think it would be truly evil if Trump's protectionist strategies involve rounding up migrants and sending them to death camps. I don't believe that is at all likely, and I'm not completely comfortable using the holocaust to make points like this. It feels like hyperbole, but hyperbole on a subject that should be treated more carefully.