Donald Trump has a compelling narrative and no, it’s not the one about being a self-made man. The president’s riches to riches origin story is a work of fiction. We know Trump didn’t turn a singular million dollar gift from his father into a vast real estate and marketing empire. Trump needed lots of gifts totaling more than $400 million dollars from his father just to stay afloat.
Having a dad with deep pockets is a key component of the Trump story but it’s not everything. Trump also relied on questionable accounting and an endless supply of bluster to maintain the myth of a big city tycoon. Put another way, the future president used an illusion of power to achieve success.
The multitude of failed businesses, the accusations of sexual impropriety and even rape, the freedom to say and do racist things are remarkable because none of this, nothing, derailed his ascendency. And that is part of Trump’s appeal, not to me, not to most, but to some of the president’s most avid supporters.
Trump, unlike you or I, is not bound by rules. An honest evaluation of Trump’s life shows a man who failed up his entire life. Trump had the benefit of being born rich and white in a society that favors both groups — and he made the most of it.
Honestly though, who cares? I mean, I do, but it seems a good deal of Trump voters aren’t interested in how the president managed to avoid accountability for so long. What matters is that he remains unscathed. In this way, Trump has something they wish they had: immunity.
“I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters,” Republican Presidential Candidate Donald J. Trump.
Let me clarify this last bit. I’m not suggesting Trump supporters engage in or approve of suspect, possibly illegal behavior. Rather, they see a man who does not bend to the times, who refuses to be “PC and who faces no consequences for his actions.
Indeed, one could argue Trump benefits from the accusations leveled against him. A new Gallup poll conducted after the House impeached him but before the Senate let him off showed Trump’s approval ratings to be the highest — 49% — since he took office. Each new revelation is yet another opportunity to showcase his grand, almost God like ability to escape unharmed. Is it any wonder why some of Trump’s most fervent supporters believe his election was an act of divine intervention?
I can see the appeal of aligning yourself with a man who “wins.” I don’t know anyone — myself included — who wouldn’t want a least a little of Trump’s invulnerability. Perhaps I could use it to magically eliminate my student loan debt or maybe get out of a speeding ticket. Maybe the president will use his mystique to bring back good paying blue collar jobs or lower the cost of a gas.
Trump seems to have nothing in common with his base. He’s lived a gilded life and never had to worry about putting food on the table or paying for health insurance. Trump is not a working-class hero, men of his ilk are typically the enemy of the middle-class. The president allegedly ripped off his employees, the same workaday men and women who happily throw their weight behind him.
Why? Why attach yourself to a man like Trump? Racism is no doubt a factor for some people. There’s also Trump’s favorite refrain of “Make America Great Again.” This hijacked slogan is simple yet effective if you feel the country is changing and leaving you behind. Seen this way, Trump is the man who will unwind the clock, and why couldn’t he?
The president has an uncanny ability to survive anything thrown his way. If a guy like that says he’s in your corner, then maybe you support him because clearly he knows something the rest of us don’t. Here Trump gets the benefit of the doubt. Hardcore supporters see a man who has either been falsely accused — implicit in this is the sense that the world (elites, mainstream media, leftists) are out to get Trump — or he’s master at manipulating the system.
It’s worth questioning how Trump got/gets away with, well, everything. Would President Obama been elected if something like the Access Hollywood tape existed? Hell, would the average black or brown man not find themselves in court if even just one woman accused them of sexual assault? Take race out of the equation. Would the average person be allowed to file bankruptcy so easily? Would banks continue to issue loans to you or me if we had a string of failed businesses?
What makes Trump untouchable? You could argue it’s something to do with his status as a rich, white, heterosexual male. A system built by men with a bio similar to Trump’s protected him for a long time. Yet, even in this time of national reckoning brought on by the #MeToo movement and despite the president’s attempts to obstruct justice, Trump feels as safe as ever.
In short, Trump is some perverted form of magic. Put yourself in the shoes of an aging white male who spent a lifetime working in the coal or steel industries. Those jobs used to come with a certain lifestyle, one that provided stability, even comfort. In this era social norms were clear(er) and largely favored men.
Times changed. Plants closed. The foundation in which people built their homes began to crack. At the same time, society’s view of abortion, LGTBQ rights and other cultural issues, shifted. The future may have never been rosy but it made a certain amount of sense. Now?
Into this void came a man who stayed the same, who clung to so-called tradition, and not only survived, he succeeded. Trump became the most powerful person in the world by dredging up the past. He showed that the “old” ways still have currency and his election ensured these values will continue to shape not only the present, but also the future.
