I keep asking myself how the hell more than 70 million of our compatriots could vote for that jerk. For the purpose of thinking through what happened and what Democrats should do in the future, I’ve organized Trump voters into four groups.
1. The fanatic MAGA base: racists, misogynists, homophobes, nativists, xenophobes, and know-nothings. They’ve always been part of America, but they’re more visible now because they wear MAGA hats and attend MAGA rallies. (They also don’t always admit to pollsters they’re voting for Trump because they don’t want to admit their bigotry even to themselves. Democrats shouldn’t try to court them.)
2. Those who haven’t yet felt the beneficial effects of Biden’s policies. These voters work hard and play by the rules. They are not ideological, are not wedded to one party or the other, and are pragmatic. They’ll listen to reason if and when they perceive Democrats to be genuinely on their side.
3. Angry voters who have been shafted for decades. They don’t have college degrees and live in areas of America that have been abandoned by industry. They want to flick their middle fingers at college-educated elites — successful, affluent, healthier, seemingly happier people with wonderful futures. Democrats should listen to their legitimate grievances and stop acting as if Democrats are superior and enlightened.
4. Men — white, Black, and Latino — who have been losing ground, status, and power. They want to return to an America when their fathers or grandfathers were the major breadwinners in their families and ruled the roost. They wouldn’t describe themselves as misogynistic, but they feel bewildered and lost in a society that no longer values or rewards physical strength, endurance, stamina, tenacity, toughness, and other traditional “male” virtues. Dems should open paths to them toward good jobs.
Admittedly, these four groups overlap, and there were others who helped Trump win, such as the religious right and people outraged by Biden’s cooperation with Netanyahu. But for this week’s Office Hours question, please identify which of these groups you believe were most responsible for Trump’s win of the popular vote.
Now read: People expecting Trump voters to turn on him are fooling themselves
Robert Reich is a professor of public policy at Berkeley and former secretary of labor. His writings can be found at https://robertreich.substack.com/