Trump Enthusiasm

 

A recent poll indicated that 97% of those who voted for Donald Trump in 2020 would again vote for him in 2024. If the poll is correct, of the over 74 million who voted for him four years ago, about 72 million would vote for him again. Despite the repeated claims of his political opponents whose opposition borders on hatred, Trump does not represent a tiny, fringe group of MAGA hat wearing, flag waving supporters.

Super Tuesday has come and gone, and Trump practically swept all the Republican primaries by overwhelming margins, after earlier record-breaking victories in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Michigan.  Nikki Haley, Trump’s last remaining Republican opponent, has now dropped out of the race. She was the last hope of the anti-Trumpers, and commentators still claim that Trump cannot win without Haley voters. In reality, a large percentage of Haley votes came from Democratic Trump haters who would never have voted for her in November.

Interestingly, these same commentators never bother to wonder how Haley or any of the other Republican contenders could have won without the votes of Trump enthusiasts. Did Haley or Chris Christie actually think that over 70 million Trump supporters would vote for them after their repeated Trump criticisms? Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida was smart enough not to openly criticize Trump or his supporters during his short-lived campaign, and quickly endorsed Trump after he withdrew from the race.

What explains Trump’s popularity?  During his successful campaign in 2016, I never in all my life saw such enthusiasm for a candidate. Now, eight years later, his popularity remains intact.  Two impeachments did not hurt him, and the recent multiple indictments have, according to a chart in this week’s Wall Street Journal, only increased his popularity. Is it just poor education or irrationality on the part of his supporters, or is there something else? Here are some reasons for the enthusiasm.

In the first place, he already has experience as President. This is very important. I remember that back in 2016 many commentators believed that Trump could not last a month as President. They felt it would be almost impossible for him to even form an administration and govern. Nevertheless, whether you like him or not, you would have to agree that he was up to the job. I will not list the many accomplishments of his term since he continually refers to them in his speeches. But more than anything else, he was always up front, a true leader in both foreign and domestic affairs. Even during the Covid crisis, he was on stage practically every day during this national emergency. Whatever you think of vaccines, there is no doubt that he acted with firmness and alacrity in their development.

Secondly, there are his words, his manner, and behavior. Detractors, who will never vote for him anyway, want him to tone it down. But his supporters want him to do just the opposite. So what if he fooled around with women in the past, not one of his many critics ever accused him of sexual misbehavior while in office. He certainly never had sex with a young intern in the White House. 

So what if he ridicules his opponents. His supporters love when he pricks the balloons of the high and mighty. Think about it and compare his jibes to those insults hurled at him by his haters. Did he ever call anyone a mother f----er? Don’t his critics have a sense of humor? His supporters, after being ridiculed and derided as deplorables, love his combative personality. Did nice words ever prevent Mitch Romney from being derided as a heartless nabob who wanted to deprive grandma of benefits?

Trump detractors never mention his actual performance as President. They just don’t like him, period. Basically, they dislike the fact that he is a white businessman who is not only wealthy but who also flaunts his wealth. But his supporters love the fact that he made his money in the private sector battling in the shark tank that is New York City real estate. They want a shark in the White House and not a feeble old man like his successor who somehow made millions for himself and his family as a career public servant.  

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