Understanding the Trump Phenomenon

Understanding Donald Trump is not the objective of this piece.  After all, he’s not complicated.  Trump is, at heart, a very insecure person who craves attention because he needs it.  That is why he blusters, brags, belittles and insults.  He refuses to be ignored.  He doubts his worth if he is. 

The more interesting and challenging study is to understand why so many are attracted to him. 

I’ll confess that even if I thought that Donald Trump was a true blue conservative and was the second coming of Ronald Reagan (I don’t), I would recoil at the prospect of voting for him.

Why?

The Sensible Conservative would be unable to tolerate his manner.  His obnoxiousness, his seeming preference for vulgar language, his reflexive personal attacks when questioned on policy or anything else make stark his lack of respectability. 

Even if there was a close ideological affinity between us, the conduct of the candidate would disqualify him in my view.  How can you support someone you don’t respect?  Whether I like him or not is an irrelevant concern.

Plainly, millions of Americans do support Donald Trump.  Do they respect him?  Does it matter?

For some, Trump is viewed as the person they envy.  He has the nerve to speak to people in angry, unsettling ways they wish they could.  They are titillated by his obscenities, vulgarities and bad manners.  He gives them a vicarious thrill.

For others, Trump gives voice to the palpable anger they feel toward powerful forces in society they believe are ruining America.  They hate politicians, the media and big business.  Trump’s language and conduct is proof of the depth of his anger.

Still others have hopes that since Donald Trump says he’ll “make America great again”, he’ll find ways to do so, despite the absence of specifics.  They love America and are disgusted that so many elites run down their country rather than staunchly defend her and do nothing about illegal immigration. 

And there are many who feel betrayed by the Republican establishment.  They believed that if they helped bring about GOP control of Congress, which they did, Obama and the liberal control of Washington would be reversed, not merely stymied.  Obamacare was supposed to be defeated and government spending reined in significantly.  Neither has happened.  The reasons for the failure of the GOP agenda simply have not been explained to the party’s rank and file.  No wonder they are upset and willing to throw a “hail Mary” pass.  Can Trump do worse?  Very likely, some may respond.  But nothing else seems to make a difference.  

Also, don’t forget the pangs of fear by those whose jobs are threatened by free trade.  They want protection, not foreign competition.

And finally, there is the celebrity factor.  Donald Trump is known to millions.  They like him, his overblown personality enlarged further by TV.  He seems larger than life.  Fame puts him on a different level.  So, his fans believe, he’ll be able to do extraordinary things. 

Trump’s candidacy is a vessel filled with the hopes of his supporters (anyone remember Obama in ‘08?).  That they have fallen for the siren calls of a demagogue is not entirely – maybe not mostly – their fault.