In the Presidential election last fall white working-class voters supported Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton two to one. Leading up to–and since–the presidential election last year the mainstream media tended to label Donald Trump’s supporters as financially disaffected white working class voters.
They persistently contended that Trump’s voters were concerned about jobs they had lost or were losing. On the other hand, many of us argued that Trump’s support was about white supremacy and they were less concerned about losing jobs than about their loosening grip on controlling America. A new report based on surveys conducted before and after the 2016 election supports our contention.
According to this study, it was not economic anxiety. Those who reported being in fair or poor financial shape were almost twice as likely to support Clinton, compared to those in better financial shape. It was cultural anxiety more so than economic anxiety that drove white, working-class voters to Trump. From the report:
- Nearly two-thirds (65%) of white working-class Americans believe American culture and way of life has deteriorated since the 1950s.
- Nearly seven in ten (68%) white working-class Americans believe the American way of life needs to be protected from foreign influence.
- More than half (52%) of white working-class Americans believe discrimination against whites has become as big a problem as discrimination against blacks and other minorities.
As I have said before, Donald Trump instigated and benefited from the negative racial climate in the country. He helped to create this environment by demeaning the black president, and he became the Republican nominee for the presidency by casting himself as the one who would restore the country to the way it was before blacks and other minorities gained so much say in running the country.
According to a national survey in the Spring of 2016, 59% of Trump’s supporters were birthers–believing Obama was not born in the United States. Only 23% thought he was born in this country. Nearly two-thirds of Trump’s supporters thought President Obama was a Muslim, and only 13% believed he was a Christian. In case there is any doubt about racism underpinning much of these attitudes and beliefs, please note that this same survey showed that 20% of Trump’s supporters felt that slaves should not have been freed after the Civil War.