No Trump voter cares what I write. They don’t. They don’t care what my opinion of them is. They don’t care what any other over-educated Ph.D. or media elite offers as a critique.
I write about economics — the rhetoric of economics and the economics of rhetoric (media) are my odd specialties as a professor. But when trying to explain economics to voters, data rarely matter. Emotions and experiences matter more to people because we make decisions based on how we feel. We even select which data to believe based on emotions. It stinks, but we are creatures of gut-reaction.
Trump voters do not care about economic theories in detail. They simply want better jobs, better pay, and something they consider stability. Trump promised everything they want, in their language. His voters heard what they wanted and reacted accordingly.
Statistically and within economics, his voters followed what behavioral economists predicted. They lashed out at a system that they believe somehow made their personal circumstances less stable.
Wages have stagnated for the middle class. A college degree doesn’t mean what it did only two decades ago. Trump voters didn’t vote for him. They voted against the elites. The elites like me, who dislike Trump and know his feel-good populism isn’t good for the economy, long-term.
Every online post, newspaper column, or magazine puff piece written “to Trump voters” will be read by exactly ZERO Trump supporters… or will be taken as the condescending, presumptuous tripe it is by the one or two Trump voters who care what The New Yorker or National Review (for that matter) have to say.
The reality is, the few Trump voters I know don’t actually like him. They voted against the system, against both parties, and hope it all burns to the ground. Some voted for the Supreme Court and district court appointments. But otherwise, they didn’t vote “for” anyone.
The day-to-day worker has moved on. The majority of people didn’t vote and a good portion of those who did aren’t that engaged a few weeks later.
Life will go on. Some of us will obsess over every word and action of President Donald Trump, but most Americans will not. They will go to work, pay bills, and watch football until the Super Bowl is played. (Then, everyone should rightly return to hockey and baseball seasons.)
The passion so many feel might not fade. That’s not bad, as long as it is a passion to hold all politicians accountable. Resisting Trump will be a full-time job for some. It should be a cause for some conservatives and libertarians with more authority, but I’m not going to imagine our voices will be heard by Trump supporters.
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