What Does Donald Trump Really Represent

*Now that the dust is settling after the Trump-Ramos ordeal, we can begin to question the energy behind the headlines. Who are the people who approve of Trump?Are they many, or just loud? VL


By Dr. Henry Flores, NewsTaco

I have been taking a bit of a break from composing this column because there have just been so many “things” to write about that my perception was getting a bit murky.  However, one issue has stood out and I have pondered it long enough that it started my creative juices flowing again.  I could not figure out why Donald Trump was so popular right now and then I began doing a deep perusal of his polling numbers and reached some conclusions I would like to share with you.  Before I get started though I wanted to point out that polling preferences, although fraught with statistical and methodological error, do reflect the general attitudes of given populations.  Mr. Hair Job Guy, Donald Trump, has consistently been polling between 23 and 28% among Republican leaning voters regardless of poll.  So, my question became who are these folks, these 23-28 percenters, who like the Hair Job Guy?

[pullquote]Trump is preferred by a very small minority of Republican voters; the vast majority is siding with other candidates. [/pullquote]

How to Interpret the Polling Numbers

Well, the first thing to understand is that the polls reflecting the Hair Job Guy’s popularity were taken of either registered or likely Republican voters. There are other polls comparing him to Ms. Clinton but I’m not concerned with those numbers here.  I’m more interested in understanding to whom Trump is appealing within the Republican Party.  The Hair Job Guy is appealing to barely a quarter of all Republican leaning voters.  The remaining 75% are spread over the other 16 or so candidates.  So, [tweet_dis]Trump is preferred by a very small minority of Republican voters; the vast majority is siding with other candidates. [/tweet_dis] Por supuesto if some of the more conservative candidates were to drop out of the race then some of those voters would move over to Trump and his numbers would appear higher.  Still, there is a hardcore 20-23 percent of Republicans who won’t budge from their support of The Hair Job Guy.

What is it About Trump That Appeal to Some

There is an old saying that one person’s junk is another’s treasure and vice-versa.  This saying aptly applies to Trump in that he is a narcissistic, bombastic, misogynistic, racist, fat, rich, white guy.  It is clear that he overindulges in good food and drink which, given the number of food ads one sees on television, is an American past time.  He is rich!  Although it appears that he is not as rich as he says, nevertheless, he is and not afraid of sharing that notion with anyone who asks or doesn’t.  His hair, cuff-links, quality of ties, suits, shoes, private jet with his name on it and all the other accoutrement with his name on it makes one a little suspicious that he may be a bit narcissistic. He does not like women as evidenced by his disgusting reparté with Megyn Kelly of FOX News.  Trump’s perception of women is a throwback to another century because he defines them as sex objects and subject to hysteria based on their menstrual cycles. His racism was evident when he spoke of Mexican immigrants as being drug dealers, thieves and rapists and then by his deportation of Jorge Ramos, the distinguished, Latino journalist of Univision from a press conference recently.  [tweet_dis]From a Latino perspective, Trump appears as an uncaring, unempathetic individual unconcerned with the human condition which he feels is not worthy of his valuable time.[/tweet_dis]  And, he brags how he has the answer to every problem he addresses without giving any specifics.  Public policy is not a simple or easy process yet he dismisses any and all attempts to speak intelligently about any policy issue.  What does this sound like, anti-intellectualism?!?

Trump’ Supporters

The next question then is what do the Hair Job Guy’s attributes, as outlined above, represent and why do these attributes attract supporters?  This two part question, obviously, has two answers.  The first is that his attributes represent the dark and ugly side of American political and social culture.  The dark side is normally hidden from view but over the last several decades it has begun to rear its ugly head at every turn.  This is evident in the legal attacks on voting, civil, women’s and gay rights.  It is also clearly behind the movement to defund and dismantle public education, social security and medical care for those who cannot afford it.

Those who find Mr. Hair Job Guy attractive and represent 25% of the Republican faithful know who they are and they must feel compatible with Trump and his attributes because they appear firmly behind him.


Henry Flores, PhD, is the Distinguished University Research Professor, Institute of Public Administration and Public Service; Director, Masters in Public Administration (MPA); Professor of International Relations and Political Science at St. Mary’s University. He is the author of Latinos and the Voting Rights Act: The Search for Racial Purpose.

henry_flores_book Latinos and the Voting Rights Act: The Search for Racial Purpose.

[Photo by Phil Roeder/Flickr]
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