On January 6th, 2021, the world was shocked several times over, and the US was shaken down to its core. The insurrection at the Capitol was a brutal assault on democracy and fairness. The mob came from a nearby Trump rally, where the President encouraged his supporters to march onto those sacred grounds. But why would these people commit such an egregious act? Why would they seemingly follow Trump to the ends of the Earth?

The first thing that must be made clear is who exactly Trump supporters are. According to a 2015 study by the Public Religion Research Institute, 55% of voters who supported Trump were working class. In the 2020 election, white people were the only racial group in which the majority supported Trump. Most of his supporters are white, working-class citizens. Cambridge University defines the working-class as “those who do not hold a college degree and report annual household incomes below the median” (in 2016, the median income was nearly $60,000). In other words, these are people who are not highly educated and are very concerned with their livelihoods and the economy.

The past few decades have been rough for these Americans. They watched as their jobs were slowly outsourced to perceived foreigners and immigrants replaced them here at home. Then along came Trump, promising to bring back the factories, save jobs, and restrict immigration. Trump appealed to their insecurities, and people began to trust him. They liked a strong man who didn’t back down from doing what had to be done. Back when Clinton opened trade with China, millions of factory jobs were lost. So when Trump put tariffs on Chinese imports, the working-class thought that they had found their savior.

Another commonality between many Trump supporters is that they live in relatively rural areas. A New York Times poll shows that in 2016, 62% of rural voters voted for Trump. These areas are usually close-knit communities with a long history of working blue-collar jobs. In the countryside, the transfer of information is slowed. In many rural areas, internet speeds are low, and people only get one or two news stations. This is enough to keep track of major events, such as an election, but not enough to show the smaller things, like climate change or political controversies.

This results in single-issue voters, voters who vote and advocate for a single issue, and when Trump gives a speech against abortion or for tougher immigration laws, the single-issue voters will give Trump their votes. The Pew Research Center found that 46% of those who live in rural areas own a gun. These gun owners will support gun rights since they want to protect themselves and their families. When they watch the news and see a presidential candidate that advocates for gun rights, they are incentivized to vote. They don’t know or care about the other policies the candidate might enforce. As long as they have the ability to keep their family safe, they are satisfied. Christians also follow the same train of thought, except instead of guns, it’s abortion and gay marriage. They are pro-life, and so is Trump.

But what about now? Why are Trump supporters still supporting Trump even after he has refused to share his taxes, or his multiple affairs have come to light? Because Trump supporters have begun to experience politics on a more personal level. They feel committed to the Trump party and have begun identifying with the whole group in addition to the leader. It creates a mindset of “We all have the same problems, and we’re all in this together, including Trump”. However, it creates a fear that if a supporter defects, or changes views, that they would be rejected by the other followers. This is peer pressure on an extreme scale, where almost an entire political party is exerting pressure on its members to follow and to fight for Trump. So, whenever he commits an offense, they stand together to defend him. 

However, each time they stay, it’s harder for them to pull out when Trump messes up again. Jennifer Chatman, an influential researcher on leadership and associate dean at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, said, “If they pulled out, they’d have to say to themselves, ‘Was I stupid before? Was I blind?’ It’s much easier and more cognitively consistent to stay in and say, ‘Oh, the media, the Democrats, they’re not giving him a fair shot’.” Ultimately, the faith Trump supporters have given to Trump has turned, because they can’t leave without questioning why they followed him for so long.

Followers of Trump are normal people who have been fed false promises. It’s important to understand that we are all Americans and although we have different they have different problems that are important to them. If Americans are to be united, Democrats must work together with the Republicans in order to move forward, and the first step in building this relationship is learning about each other and settling their differences. As for the radical supporters, they must learn to compromise and we must be forgiving. If we do this,  Americans can look to a brighter, united future.Why Trump Supporters Support Trump