With Trump’s recent erratic behavior, it is very important to examine why his following remains so high. My investigation suggests five reasons:
- Trump’s early base were people angry with the extreme polarization in Washington. They had needs that were not being addressed, and quickly supported a person who promised to fix them. When he did not, they stayed loyal because his rallies continued to be entertaining, they didn’t see an easy political alternative, and destroying the bureaucracy in Washington always was appealing to them.
- There were also those people who said they liked his policies but hated his tactics. They benefited personally from a strong stock market, enjoyed Trump’s tax breaks, and possibly were associated with businesses that benefited from massive degulation.
- Still others saw career advances for themseves simply by pledging loyalty. Being close to power was thrilling for them, and the idea of being part of an autocracy was of no personal concern.
- Republicans in Congress quickly climbed onboard because they were like-minded. They represented far right districts at home and feared becoming the focus of Trump’s tweets. They were also worried about the violence of some Trump supporters. Therefore, it was not difficult to overlook his cruelty and the chaos produced by his daily tweets.
- Some have also found a strong racism dimension to Trump’s success. His obvious racism attracted other racists. But just as important, mainstream white people very likely let previously surpressed worries about minorities changing their neighborhoods effect their voting. And with job priorities and other benefits appearing to favor minorities, their voting also could have been influenced by feelings of resentment.
So here are two big questions about the future: Does Trump’s huge following indicate that he could get elected again as America’s first dictator? Or is it more likely that with this base of voters already in place, another control-obsessed politician who is more experienced in government, knows American history, understands international issues, sees no need for outspoken experts, and is still fairly likable, could get elected in 2024?
This much is very clear: Democracy post-Trump is not a sure thing… even in America.
Larry D. Lauer 
Very insightful observations. I believe Trump will fade away (like Joe McCarthy) when he is out of power. He will ratchet up the insanity level of his tweets in a desperate attempt to garner attention from the mainstream media, but he will be relegated to the lunatic fringe far right platforms by the crazy content of his desperate rants. His ‘base’ – at least the under educated white voter part – feeds off his politically incorrectness and future politicians who are capable and informed about governance will have a hard time pretending to be crazy enough to navigate the pure ‘Trump Lane.’ So, I am more sanguine about the post-Trump world and am ready to embrace boring informed governance.
Well said, Larry. I agree that we must be on alert for 2024. I also fear that people expect Biden to work miracles–which he can’t because trump, McConnell, and others have handicapped him. Then they’ll say Biden failed and turn to Republicans. It’s a delicate situation–especially when the Democratic candidate will be a black female.
Excellent lesson. Our best hope is that the legal and other circumstances will reduce trump’s appeal and reduce his status as a political figure.