Why did Donald Trump win the 2016 Election?
Picture taken from the Fair Observer.com
Most people who have written about Trump's political success have focused on the rhetoric of hate. They sincerely believe that hate is the motivation when the president speaks about race, gender, and immigration issues. They believe that his groundswell of support is reflecting that hate. They look at the name calling of Mexican migrants as "gang members and very bad people." When hate responses occur at these rallies, like when he asks, "What we should do to illegals crossing our border?" and the audience responds "shoot them," he laughs, but correct them with joke. Is Donald Trump a white nationalist promoting terrorism? While I am sure there are hate mongers in our country, I am writing this post to propose an alternative motivation. My personal motivation is defend the people of the heartland who elected Donald Trump in 2016.
I question the motivation of hate. I have spent considerable time in the heartland of western Pennsylvania. Some people from places like New York City would call these areas irrelevant, fly over country. It was this irrelevant fly over country that got President Trump elected in 2016. In my experience, the people who live in this rural heartland are not hate mongers. Other people who have grown up in the heartland and moved to the city would agree with me. If the motivation for a lemming following of a populist president is not hate, then what is it? It is my opinion that many in our country are suffering from a motivation of fear. The shifting demographics of our country have made people uneasy and even fearful. For example, when the top 10% of Chinese high school students exceed our population of students, then this can cause my students to fear getting into a prestigious university. When affirmative action takes an employment spot that you could have had, then that can cause you to fear African Americans.
It is natural for people to resist change. People in the heartland are used to a homogenous social experience. When people look different from what we are used to, it is common for us to judge people by their outward appearance. The color of a person's skin, or a hijab, can create uneasiness and fear in people at first glance. It may take years before people lean into a different culture that they do not understand. I currently live on a cul-de-sac in Upper Darby, PA that reflects at least 5 different cultures and within a school district with 67 different nationalities. It made me uneasy the first time I visited this area. After living here for almost 30 years, I have grown more comfortable but losing the white majority in our country can still make me fearful of loosing my job, or my children and grandchildren loosing opportunities.
No one wants to be a minority. Fear is a powerful motivation that can cause irrational behavior. For example, I teach at a gifted program right now. People are afraid of losing their jobs, losing their standard of living, and concerned about their children and grandchildren's future. The populous presidency of Donald Trump may appear to many as undermining of our moral values when people support hate speech, but interpreting motivation is a messy business. When we consider that the white religious, rural, majority is afraid and not hateful, then perhaps we can better understand the election of 2016. If challengers to the President want to gain traction in the heartland, then they should consider the people's motivation and address it. Calling them haters will only work into the president's strategy of "doubling down" and increase his following.
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