Why do people want to vote for Donald Trump? He seems more like a reality TV star than a politician. Unless that is what people are actually looking for? According to the results of the South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Nevada primaries, it might just be so. There is a problem with this way of thinking, though.
Presidential elections have always had a degree of sensation, but this is different. Trump is shameless, unapologetic, outlandish, unforgiving, and quite frankly, rude. If Trump were a character in a reality TV show, he would be the character nobody liked. His qualities are that of a person who one would really not want in a friend, yet a large amount of Americans want them in their future President. So there must be some other thing that makes his possible presidency attractive, right?
As a person who walks past one of Trump's many Trump Towers every Friday morning, I feel this question accentuated in me as I witness the extent of Trump's wealth. This building looks like a large block of gold—the kind of decadent ostentation one reads about in "The Great Gatsby" and thinks, “Wow, what an empty kind of existence.” Standing at the foot of this building as I eat a tuna sandwich my mom packed in my lunch while the people in the first-floor restaurant drink cocktails and eat caviar, I think to myself, “Is this not the top 1/10 of the top one percent where most of America’s wealth lies? How can all of this be overlooked and completely ignored?”
The reason for Trump's popularity, I believe, is not too different from the reason he was able to create such a superficially appealing real estate empire: He is a great salesman. That is, he can always convince you that he has what you are looking for. Most would explain the Trump phenomenon in fragments: He appeals to veterans, people disillusioned with the current political establishment, Islamophobes, people sick of political correctness, etc. When one looks more closely, however, she begins to see that there are Trump supporters who do not fit any of these categories.
For example, NPR’s radio podcast “This American Life,” interviewed a Trump supporter, Alex Chalgren. He is a black 18-year-old that was adopted by born-again Christians in the third grade, and in turn, adopted their conservative ideologies—except for the one regarding homosexuality because he is gay. Alex’s biggest concerns are the economy and gay rights, and Donald Trump in his eyes is the perfect candidate because, at the time of Alex's first interview, Trump had not spoken out against homosexuality like Ted Cruz, whom Alex's parents support.
Some other good examples can be found here, where people explain in writing why they support Donald Trump. Explanations range from something like:
Like the joker from 'The Dark Knight,' I just want to see the world burn.
To:
Wall Street, the banks, and even illegal immigrants seem to be prospering more than the average American citizen. We are desperate.
And my favorite:
Donald Trump personifies a modern-day, extremely brash Jay Gatsby, clawing feverishly for that elusive "green light" at the end of Daisy Buchanan's beckoning dock. Is it not better to place your chips on hopes and dreams rather than certain nightmares? Those of us who buy into Trump's vision, nearly to the point of blind trust, are loudly professing our disgust with the current immoral situations that taint and threaten our blueprint of the American dream.
Now if I were to ask you what a gay, black 18-year-old; a person who revels in chaos,;a disillusioned conservative; and an apparent literary expert all have in common, you would probably think I am setting up a joke with a cheap punchline. You would probably be worried that my punchline would be distasteful or even racist. You would probably be wondering if I am asking a serious question.
Well, I am being serious when I say this: These people have something in common, and it is more than being Donald Trump fans. All of these different voters truly seem to find whatever they are looking for in the guy. But how?
Alex Chalgren seemed to answer this question best. After Donald Trump stated that he would strongly consider putting justices on the Supreme Court who would overrule the decision on same-sex marriage, the NPR reporter asked Alex if he still supported Trump. Alex responded that he did and that he believes Trump is only saying that to get the votes. (An aside: Is that not how he gets everyone? His poll numbers go up after he promises to ban all Muslims from entering the country. You think he means that?)
Clearly, Alex is interested in something more than gay rights or crushing ISIS. In his own words:
I have this sort of like gravitating pull towards people who are successful because I too want to be successful. Yeah. I want to be—not necessarily, I don't focus on wealth. I focus on power. Because as Kevin Spacey said, in 'House of Cards,' a fool goes after money. But someone that really seeks to control goes after power.
At the end of the day, that’s what most people are interested in when they hear Donald Trump say something like banning Muslims from entering the country. They don’t hear what he says, they hear how he says it—with gusto, chutzpah, and power.
And as the South African-born comedian Trevor Noah said in an interview with Jerry Seinfeld while describing apartheid, “There’s just a moment in time if you find the right balance between desperation and fear, you can make people believe anything.”
In other words, when people are afraid of terrorism or any maniac picking up a gun and mowing down kids at school, when people are no longer satisfied with establishment politics, when people feel desperate about the things they simply cannot control, in their hearts there forms a vacuum, and what fills the void quickly is power. Because power can cause chaos, restore the American dream, defeat ISIS, and somehow make America great again all in the same sentence.
