Why they vote for Trump

TOMORROW IS the official voting day for the US presidential election, and while it seems that the most important question is who everyone will vote for, the real question is why people choose to vote for either incumbent Republican President Donald Trump or the Democratic candidate, former vice president Joe Biden.

Like all voters, I wonder what drives someone to vote for a candidate I don’t support so today I present the political views of James Zartman, a Trump supporter in the state of Ohio, which is always a key battleground state. James articulates the views of the Trump supporters in Ohio I have spoken to this election.

As Drew Weston writes in The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of a Nation, elections are about emotions – not issues. So we’re not debating issues here, only trying to understand what a Trump supporter sees in a candidate that horrifies Democrats like me.

James describes Trump supporters as “hard-working people who want a president who does what he promises.” He says Trump had built a strong economy before covid19 hit, and he believes Trump when the president says he set records in lowering unemployment for blacks, Hispanics and women.

Trump earns trust because he is perceived by his supporters as a businessman – not a politician.

“Politicians all lie and they don’t deliver what they promise,” says James.

As for Trump’s lies that the media point out, James says, “Trump is becoming a politician and they all lie. In general, that will never change in politics.”

Trump’s handling of covid19 has been a contentious issue, but James says, “He has done the best job he could possibly have done. He imposed a travel ban and bought ventilators. I am amazed some Republicans and Democrats have said he handled covid19 poorly.”

James doesn’t perceive not wearing masks to be a big issue. “It’s an airborne virus,” he says. “Masks can’t stop covid because you’re getting air through the masks.”

Trump’s opposition says he has discredited his covid adviser Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, but James says Fauci has flip-flopped on how to handle the virus. “He came out initially and said,‘Don’t wear masks’ and then changed his mind.”

That change in opinion among scientists about wearing masks left Trump supporters questioning science. They went with Trump’s opinions because they trust him and believe he has been trying to strike a balance between managing covid19 and protecting the economy by calling for no lockdowns.

James says he looks at Trump’s performance – not his personality.

“I never liked Trump as a person, but I like what he has done to make the country and some of the world better. He is still the a-hole he was on one of the dumbest shows ever, the Apprentice [a reality show where Trump hired and fired contestants], but it's like this: I hate the Pittsburgh Steelers [an American football team], but I acknowledge and accept their accomplishments, and I can accept Trump’s accomplishments as well.”

Democrats find Trump divisive and accuse him of racism, but James says, “I’ve heard nothing out of his mouth dividing this country. Leftists called him racist when he began building a wall to hold out illegal immigrants, but it’s illegal to sneak into anyone’s country.”

He finds Democrats don’t give Trump credit for his foreign policy including the peace treaties in the Middle East that normalised relations between Israel and two Arab states, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. “The Democrats don’t mention he was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for that.”

As a Trump supporter, James was upset that Democrats tried to impeach Trump. “They accused him of collaborating with the Russians to win the last election. Their investigations proved nothing. I find that deplorable.”

Democrats often say they have statistics to disprove many of Trump supporters’ points, but in the end it all boils down to who voters believe. Like James, Trump supporters perceive the president as a business person “who tells it like it is.” They see Biden as a feeble man and career politician. They pounce on his mistakes and what they perceive to be lies.

In the end, James, who is 54, says, “I feel Trump has done more than any president in my lifetime. I always hated politics, and now I’m voting for Trump. I’ve never voted in an election until now.”

Democrats might be appalled, but that is how the other side feels in this election.