Not the poor or uneducated, two terms that don’t necessarily go together in describing Mr. Trump’s supporters. Often Trump supporters are described and shown in political cartoons as appearing stupid. 76 million people voted for him I expect many look like us, me and you. We have family relations and long-time friends that have become divided over Mr. Trump. Whether or not we disagree with his politics like us all he is a flawed human being. My perception of him is that he may not be immoral in his beliefs but is at best amoral, lacking in a sense or concern for right and wrong.
The MAGA movement is personally dedicated to Trump himself more than to a firm set of principles. Mr. Trump, a person born into wealth, has succeeded in presenting himself as a member of his followers’ community. People seeing themselves as ‘forgotten men and women’ are willing to subordinate themselves to an authoritarian leader who breaks with social rules and legal orders. Trump promises to ‘make America great again’ and to restore his followers’ dignity and renew national pride. The fight against diversity, equity and inclusion, (DEI) and the racism of the Trump era, is similar to the post civil war Reconstruction Era. A time when the Ku Klux Klan called for white supremacy amid Black emancipation. Supporters see Trump’s transgressions, rule-breaking and denigration as charismatic authority and strong leadership.
From tariffs to the Iran war to the Epstein files, non-MAGA Republicans have broken sharply with the MAGA base, often landing closer to independents and even Democrats than to their fellow partisans. A recent interview with Trump voters who regret supporting him reveals how uninformed they were about basic facts and the man that they elected president. Why the change of heart or at least a lowering opinion. Tariffs resulted in a split between MAGA and non-MAGA Republicans. Traditional Republicans were free traders while the MAGA movement, stronger among less affluent Republicans from areas hurt by freer trade, embraced the president’s approach. Opposition to the war has come not from the MAGA base but from non-MAGA Republicans. This alone leads me to conclude that there is a divide within the Republican Party. But is there a decline within the MAGA group of Trump supporters.
The New York Times interviewed twelve Americans who voted for Trump in the 2024 election. Some now describe themselves as “disappointed” or “betrayed” by their president. Nine of them “regret” their vote. “Life is becoming more and more unaffordable. The prices of things like gasoline and food overall haven’t come down. I thought it all would just be a lot more affordable,” a 42-year-old Republican from Illinois commented. He also conceded that Trump has focused on the rich.” Another replied “I feel like he just defunded a lot of the education systems, the schools. I don’t know why he made so many promises.” Yet another “ending of the penny, silly as that is.” Wow. What a victory! Another believed Trump would “get rid of taxes” altogether so that Americans would “get our full paycheck instead of just half of it.” Apparently, countries don’t need taxes to function. “I thought he’d learned his lesson and was going to prove to everybody he learned from his mistakes, and he was going to turn the country around and he was going to be a stellar president..” Tariffs are really impacting me, especially at work, because I work for a company that has offices abroad. The tariffs are just creating chaos at work between all of our customers. And I looked dumb as hell believing in fairy tales and wishy-washy promises.”
A profound lack of understanding when it comes to history and the GOP’s priorities is why many continue to support him and Republicans remain competitive at the ballot box. The MAGA movement is far more a personal constituency deeply dedicated to Trump himself than an ideological movement with a clear and firm set of principles. If MAGA is a cult what happens when it crumbles? Trump has consolidated the GOP more thoroughly than perhaps any modern president, with 62% of rank-and-file Republicans now identifying as MAGA, but that dominance has come at the cost of alienating a non-MAGA minority that increasingly thinks and votes like independents.
Mr. Trump may be our most powerful president as well as our worst. He is a person who possesses no moral code. His goal is always to win and claim victory in losing. If the United States considers itself a moral nation and some say a Christian nation if so how did such an amoral person be elected by us to be our President? What was and for many is the attraction?
His willingness to violate all norms, rules and laws – and leaves everyone else to pick up the pieces.
Phil's Personal Perspectives 