The mainstream media are enabling Donald Trump and many of his supporters. They have led the way in proclaiming the great lie about the 2016 presidential election. Despite plenty evidence to the contrary, the media continue to proclaim that Trump won because of the economic anxiety of the white working class.
In other words, they say working-class voters feel left behind because of uncertainty about their economic future as many have lost jobs or wages. Consequently, the argument goes, they decided to punish the Democrats who were in power. Not so much. While economic insecurity was a factor in the election, racism was a much stronger reason.
But first, let’s clear up one major myth. Trump voters were not working class. During the primaries and in the general election only a third of Trump supporters earned less than the median U.S. income of $50,000 per year. The poor white working class was more likely than the rich to vote for Hillary Clinton.
Back to the real issue: Trump ran a racist campaign and won based on white racism, or more politely, racial resentment. First, it was racism that propelled Trump to the Republican nomination. Early in the 2016 campaign, a study examined the extent to which views on race affected views on the election. The study found that the stronger the level of racial stereotyping or racial resentment among white respondents the stronger the support for candidate Trump. This type of relationship did not exist for other major Republican contenders.
The title of the report of another study of potential white voters published just before the November 2016 election says it all: “The threat of increasing diversity: Why many white Americans support Trump in 2016.” When people in this study were told that nonwhite groups would outnumber white people in 2042 they became more likely to support Trump.
More studies have been conducted after the 2016 presidential election, with most if not all pointing to the same conclusion: it was racism, not economic dissatisfaction.
A study published last November found that Trump supporters were much more likely to change their views on housing policy based on race. They were less likely to support housing assistance programs after being subtly shown a picture of a black man, and they expressed hostility toward those said to receive government assistance. Those expressing favorability toward Hillary Clinton did not change their views when shown these racial cues.
Last December researchers reported a study of millennials to determine what drove Trump to victory: Was it general anxiety about the state of the economy or was it racism and racial resentment? Surprise! They found that racial resentment was the answer. White millennials who voted for Trump had the same level of employment as those who did not vote for Trump and were less likely to be low income than white voters who did not support Trump. Employment and income were not significantly related to the sense of white anxiety.
A study reported this past January found racism and sexism were stronger factors in support for Trump than economic dissatisfaction.
The latest study to debunk the popular explanation of the public’s support for Trump in the 2016 election was just released last week. This researcher’s findings brought the real issue front and center. She showed that status threat, not economic hardship, explains the 2016 presidential vote.
Many Trump voters were definitely concerned about the rise of minorities in numbers and power and white America’s loosening grip on the country. In other words, for these voters, white supremacy was at stake in the election.
Trump’s campaign was an open non-disguised appeal to this racist, white nationalist sentiment. And that won him the election. It is time that more of the mainstream media report that fact.