Answers to my questions to Trump supporters was underwhelming, to say the least. While I didn’t expect a big response, I really thought there would be a larger response than the four I received. I do understand that most readers are liberals, Democrats or independents along with a number of disgruntled conservatives or Republicans who find Trump disgusting and dangerous.
When I first started writing this column seriously in 2019, I sent it out to most of my friends to see if they might be interested. At that time, I was still living full-time up at Potlatch in the north Georgia mountains. There most of my friends were mostly conservative and Republican, though this was not overtly apparent at the time as we seldom talked about politics. Most quickly dropped off the mailing list once they realized the nature of my postings; by this time, I was frequently critical of Trump’s record and saying so loud and clear. What still puzzles me, however, is that we all had a lot in common and agreed on most things. I respected them and generally found consensus with them.
It is interesting to note that the four responses I received were evenly divided: two early on had voted for Trump but since have come out against him and his MAGA movement; the other two have continued to vote for Trump and support his policies. All identify as Republicans or conservatives with one leaning libertarian. Given the number, this is not indicative of anything statistically. So what have we learned, if anything?
Two things strike me. The first is that those who voted for Trump and later defected generally think of themselves as Republican or conservative, but are not ideological or partisan driven. Some might be better identified as “independents” who lean right politically, people who are fiscal conservatives but socially more liberal. They tend to be embarrassed by Trump and dislike his tactics and fear for our government.
Secondly, those who voted for Trump two or three times tend to be ideologues and strongly partisan. They are contemptuous of the Democrats and all things left. They continue to be happy with Trump’s policies regardless of his tactics, whether it be sending army troops to the cities, his abuse of freedom of speech or his threats to constitutional and democratic government. They are delighted with humiliating the Democrats and have an almost religious belief in the free market and the private sector to fix everything that is wrong with the United States.
What this means to me: while the paltry response to the questionnaire is insignificant, it helps explain why Trump won in 2016 and again in 2024. The answers reflect the two camps of Republicans without whom Trump would not have won. Others who made up the Republican voting bloc such as the white supremacists, evangelicals, the disenfranchised and crazies have always been there. These and first-time voters would not have made a difference by themselves.
Without going into the failure of the Democrats – and there are many – the MAGA revolution will only be ended when mainline Republicans and fellow travelers back off and stop being angry about “political correctness” and “liberal bias” in the media; even important issues such as crime, border policies and fiscal sobriety must be subordinate to securing our constitutional government, the rule of law, and democratic traditions.
Not until my conservative friends in the north Georgia mountains and here on St. Simons acknowledge the problems with Trump and MAGA will our Republic be safe. They need to practice the decent and patriotic values I know they hold or, like all of us, risk being devoured by a government run amok.