Trump’s 'unflinching loyalty' to 'xenophobes and subversives' is keeping him the GOP frontrunner: columnist

28 September 2023

Supporters of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and other 2024 GOP presidential primary candidates keep hoping that one of them will move ahead of frontrunner Donald Trump. But so far, there are no signs of that happening.

DeSantis, the primary's second-place candidate, trails Trump by 39 percent in a YouGov/Economist poll released on September 27 and by 38 percent in a Monmouth University poll released a day earlier.

Liberal New York Times opinion writer Charles M. Blow examines Trump's stranglehold on the primary in his September 27 column. Blow is vehemently critical of Trump, slamming his pseudo-populism as disingenuous. But Blow also lays out some reasons why Trump still has so strong a bond with his hardcore base.

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When Trump speaks of "the people," Blow argues, he is referring to "his people" — the only voters he considers "worthy and legitimate."

But Blow stresses that Trump knows how to work his audience and keep "xenophobes and subversives" supporting him.

"The person who gave voice to the party's most base instincts is the hero of the Republican base," Blow explains. "He didn't try to restrict them; he unleashed them. He spoke to and for 'the people.' He tailored a particular form of populism, one aimed at xenophobes and subversives."

Blow continues, "This is, I believe, why Trump maintains strong support even as his legal troubles grow: He has been unflinchingly loyal to one portion of the body politic, and his followers are simply reciprocating. They don't worry about Trump torching the country if he's reelected, because they believe that they will frolic in the ashes. They believe that whatever benefits Trump will eventually benefit them. Trump has deceived his people into believing in trickle-down tyranny."

Charles M. Blow's full New York Times opinion column is available at this link (subscription required).

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