Who are those Scary Trump Voters Anyway?

They are regular people like this one-time never Trumper

As a young person I was a staunch Democrat, believing that they were the party of peace and caring for the disadvantaged. I donated to Handgun Control, Inc. (now known as the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence), and subscribed to essentially all of the Democrat positions. My father’s untimely death put into motion a series of events that, due to the laws of my state, essentially forced me to become a member of the NRA in order to move his .22 rifle from his home. Once you are a NRA member you automatically receive their magazine, each edition of which includes numerous accounts of ordinary citizens protecting themselves and others from criminal violence (“The Armed Citizen”). Wait! Why hadn’t I ever heard any of these kinds of stories before? That question changed the course of my life. Beware! Questions are powerful things, particularly when they regard our own beliefs.

Fast forward to 2016, I was a Ted Cruz supporting never Trumper who voted for Evan McMullin in the general election. I saw Donald Trump as a boorish power hungry narcissist. As President however, he soon proved my assumptions that he was a closet leftist and typical do-nothing politician wrong. At the same time, his opponents soon exposed their utter hatred for the man and his supporters in a way that was beyond all reason. They hated this person so much that literally NOTHING else mattered as much to them. I have learned in my life that hatred is never a good place to act out of and expect anything but evil to come from it.

The “Trump” persona was never my cup of tea, but rather than listen to all of the hyperbolic banter, I payed attention to what he did. He lowered government regulation leading to, among other things, the USA becoming energy self-sufficient and the lowest minority unemployment rates ever. He allowed the military to dismantle ISIS, who at the time of his inauguration controlled an area about the size of Pennsylvania, then began to bring our soldiers home, and ended his term as the only president since Jimmy Carter not to start a new war. He negotiated/renegotiated numerous trade deals, moved the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and brokered numerous Middle East peace treaties. He appointed three Supreme Court Justices who appear to care about Catholic issues like religious liberty and the dignity of each and every human person. President Trump certainly did not fulfill all of his promises, but most other Presidents in my life were classic politicians who didn’t even seem to try. He was also slow to speak up on numerous issues where I feel he needed to, even if only to counter a runaway press narrative detrimental to the country. Eureka! I finally got it, President Trump was the classic New York City negotiator I had seen so many times in business.

Fast forwarding to the 2020 campaign, at first I stood on the sideline. As I discerned on the question of if and how I might become involved, I had this sinking feeling, that many of my friends seemed to share, that if I got involved I would be cancelled by the Trump hating culture around me. Eventually, I made the decision that I HAD TO get involved precisely because of my fear of cancelation. I had to go on record and become a target because this threat to my dignity as a person and the personhood of those around me was not okay. Since when did holding a peaceful political opinion make you a target for financial and social cancelation?

I have always found personal growth from stepping into things I initially found uncomfortable. In this case, I chose to go on record by both making a donation and volunteering time at three Trump/Pence rallies. Entertainment, including things like rallies are really not my thing, but what better way to understand this Trump phenomena? What I found were crowds of happy and enthusiastic people of every size, shape, and color. They loved the USA and their president, and were 100% peaceful. The only other crowds where I have ever experienced a similar joy were those at the March for Life in Washington, DC (also misunderstood even sometimes within the Church).

The first Trump rally I volunteered at was eye opening. It was clearly a well choreographed show, but also something more. I worked helping ADA (American Disabilities Act) people to their special seating area. This allowed me to witness close up the professionalism of the Secret Service and private security teams. (Thank you for helping every attendee feel safe.) More impressive were the ordinary people joyful to see their President. The message that came through loud and clear throughout the event was the love between the President and these people. It was obvious that he truly cared about them and their hopes and dreams. On his way out he cemented this feeling by making eye contact with as many people as he possibly could, including me and the young female immigrant from Thailand next to me. As I waited for the bus on the way out, I ended up in a long and wonderful theological conversation with a person of a different Christian denomination. Where else in the world does that happen?

President Trump was far from perfect, but he was also far from the evil bigoted misogynist the press portrayed him as. Thank you for doing your best President Trump.

Maybe President Biden will be the perfect President the Trump haters have been looking for…

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