A Vote for Trump Was a Vote of Defiance
To the editor:
On January 6, 2021, At the urging of President Trump, a violent and angry mob descended on the capitol attempting to stop the confirmation of Joe Biden as the lawfully elected president. The people’s house was desecrated, policemen were seriously injured and some died. For many Americans, this act of treason raised a hard question: how could millions of ordinary, decent Americans—including many deeply religious Christians— vote again for someone, a convicted felon, who attempted a violent coup, lies so openly, who trampled on democratic norms, who illegally defied Congress and the courts, who used the great powers of his office to enrich himself and his family, who called for an immigration policy that would be marked by chaos and cruelty.
The answer is not that people were stupid or delusional. Most Trump voters are regular Americans, working hard to pay the bills, playing by the rules but getting further and further behind. Many feel ignored, disrespected, or pushed aside by powerful groups in government, big business, and the media. For years, they have felt that no one listens to them or takes their problems seriously. They are aware that coastal elites patronize them. But Trump spoke in a way that felt different. He voiced their anger that reflected their strong belief that the system is rigged to favor the few and dump on the many. Trump spoke in a down-to-earth vernacular that sounded familiar to working class folks. Ordinary Americans reveled in his indifference to political correctness and his ridicule of the silly wokeness of the radical left.
For many supporters, Trump was much more than just a politician. He became a sacred symbol. Voting for him was not only about laws or policies, but about standing up for themselves, their grievances, and their way of life. When Trump said the 2024 election was stolen, his supporters believed him because they were certain that the system is rigged and that the powers-that-be couldn’t be trusted. They didn’t trust the mainstream media, the politicians, or the so-called- experts. So Trump’s baseless claims fit what they already believed. Accepting that Trump had lost would have meant trusting institutions they felt had failed them and lied to them again and again.
However, People don’t just vote based on facts. They vote with feelings and identity. Once someone ties their identity to a leader or movement, it becomes very hard to admit that leader is wrong. Doing so feels like admitting you were fooled or that your group lost. It is often easier to believe that the system is corrupt than to believe your side failed. Trump’s supporters have shown signs of what appears to be a cultlike attachment. He presented himself as the only one who could “fix” the country and said anyone who opposed him was an enemy. Judges, journalists, and all Democrats and a few Republicans were attacked as criminals and traitors if they didn’t support him. He called for them to be locked up and in a few cases hanged. In this kind of environment, loyalty becomes more important than truth. The leader is always right, and if facts disagree, then the facts must be fake.
Trump’s many personal flaws—lying, name-calling, cruelty, corruption, racism, and his astounding lack of understanding of history and science— were often excused or even praised. Supporters said, “At least he’s not fake,” or “He fights back,” or “He’s one of us.” Bad behavior was seen as proof that he was strong enough to take on powerful enemies. Over time, for Trump supporters. defending Trump became an important part of defending their view of what America should be.
The fervent, unquestioning support for Trump from many Christians has been very baffling for many Americans to understand, especially other Christians. Christianity teaches honesty, humility, kindness, and empathy for others, qualities sadly lacking in President Trump. However, many Christian voters didn’t see him as a moral role model. Instead, they saw him as an imperfect vessel, like Moses, or David, ordained by God. They believed he would protect them from their imagined war on Christianity. Trump would oppose abortion, support federal funding for private faith-based education.
Trump would fight the social changes they feared. In their minds, the ends justified the means. Trump’s many sins were overlooked because he promised to defend their views of what America should look like, an America mostly white and an America where evangelical Christianity and government were closely aligned and mutually supportive. They forgot that the First Amendment calls for the separation of the secular government from religion. That protection reflected the Framers’ knowledge and understanding of the centuries of European wars, carnage, and unspeakable cruelties driven by the alliance of the ruling body with the state religion. Theocracies have a dismal history.
In the end, Trump’s reelection was about more than one man. It showed how angry, divided, and distrustful our country has become. When people feel forgotten and under attack, they may fervently follow a charismatic leader who promises to preserve their way of life—no matter how flawed that leader is personally. In those moments, loyalty replaces truth, and democracy itself can become a casualty. Trump will be gone someday. Then those who adored him and those who despised him will need to figure out how to live together. A good start might be to begin with a sincere effort by all to understand one another and to try to be less judgmental and to focus on what unites us all as loyal Americans.