The results are trickling in: Why people voted Trump, in their own words.

[DetlefK]

Last edited Sun Dec 1, 2024, 02:47 AM - Edit history (2)

I have been watching lots and lots of videos of republican voters giving their thoughts on the 2024 election, and methinks I sense a pattern.

(EDIT: I'm paraphrasing, but these are real arguments and talking-points from Trump-voters.)

"Eggs are too expensive and Trump said he will bring the price down with tariffs and I don't know what tariffs are but Trump said they will work, so I voted Trump."

"Trump promised to repeal Obamacare and I think that's great and, No, nobody will lose their health-insurance because we will still have the Affordable Care Act."

"Trump promised to deport migrants and I'm all for that, because they are lazy bums, and he will certainly not deport me or my family or my friends, because we are good migrants and Trump will surely only deport bad migrants."

"I voted Trump because he will ban abortion. I mean he won't totally ban it, if you urgently need one you can still get one, but other than that he will ban it and I'm all for that."

"Trump will bring peace to Gaza. He is a peace-maker and a friend of the muslim community and he will force Israel to stop their genocide of Palestinians."

"Trump will bring the change. We are tired of more-of-the-same, and he will shake things up."

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. They are brass-plated idiots, all of them. Unbelievable.

[Volaris]

17. 'I mean, look y'all, i know thats a leopard. AND i know, its the face-eatin kind...

I know cause the leopard hisself told me, thats whut he wuz. And I'm ok with that, cause some people well, they need THEIR faces eaten. But it won't eat MY face, onaccounta my face is WHITE.'

That's the distillation of the quotes, and everything else is excuse-making bullshit. So, bring on the leopards i say, cause pain is the only thing these fools are gonna understand.

[AZ8theist]

35. I prefer "blithering" over "brass-plated", but.....

...You're 100% correct.

[Charging Triceratops]

2. America once led the world in many things

Now our main product is rampant stupidity.

[Bluetus]

26. I wish we could have had a discussion about what it means to compete in the 21st century

We have become entirely insular. Americans travel much less than most western people. There is a lingering attitude that the US leads the world in technology and innovation. That was true when we invented the semiconductor and so many other things. But it is no longer true.

We once dominated in aviation technology. Look at Boeing now.

We have long dominated in military hardware, but the Ukraine war shows that a $5000 drone can destroy a million dollar tank, or whatever comparison you want to make. And the innovation in this area is coming from Turkey, Iran and Ukraine, not the USA.

Much of the 21st century economy will revolve around decarbonization. This includes more efficient transportation (personal EV, but also mass transit), large-scale energy storage, and wind/solar generation. China has made huge investments in all these areas and is now dominating. China has the fastest intercity trains and is now building even faster trains using magnetic levitation.

All of these things affect the wealth of America in the future, and therefore, the quality of life we (and our children) will have in the decades ahead. Yet practically none of this was discussed during the campaign, either by the media or by the candidates.

Ever since Reagan's "The government IS the problem" days, we have been in decline in competitiveness on the world stage. This drains our society of quality of life, at the same time that billionaires have been sucking a vast amount of this wealth for themselves. THis means that Americans now almost universally say the country is heading in the wrong direction, no matter who is in charge. That is why we are seeing pendulum-swing elections so frequently. We need to find a leader ASAP, I mean very soon, who can start to make this case for why we are losing standing globally and what we need to do to get mack in the game. The pendulum will work for us in 2028, but only if we stop doing the usual value, nebulous, milquetoast stuff and get a leader who will really speak to these issues of national concern. A good place for such a leader to start is to read every one of FDR's major speeches. Americans are unhappy today. They will be much less happy in 4 years. We need to get to work NOW.

[betsuni]

63. "milquetoast" (one of Cornell West's favorite words when bashing Democrats with the myth they ignore the working class

and are evil neoliberal status quo establishment elites worse than Republicans). LOL!

Very common to compare President Biden to FDR, meaning liberal Democrats, the roots of the Democratic Party, liberal Democrats, not the made-up "democratic socialist" bed time story trashing the history of the liberal Democratic Party. Type "President Biden" and "FDR" in the search engine here or Google it. If some people are going to be more unhappy in 4 years it's because they believe fantasies. Better know history and facts.

[Bluetus]

64. I don't know about Cornell West

But I do know Americans feel like they have gotten screwed hard by the establishment. This is reflected by the "right track/wrong track" numbers. That used to oscillate between 40 and 60%. Now it hasn't been anywhere close to 50% for almost 20 years.

If we want to win elections, we had better either

* Find a way to get that number above 50% while we are in power, or

* Do a hell of a lot better at explaining why the other guys are keeping us on the wrong track.

When was the the last time you heard this seriously being discussed in any campaign?

[betsuni]

66. Who is the "establishment"?

[Bluetus]

67. Whatever the American people are angry at.

I did not say the anger was well-thought-out or intellectually defensible. I simply observed the fact that the American public has been solidly "wrong track", basically, since Obama was elected. And that means it is very difficult for either party to get much of a foothold to actually move the country forward. Meanwhile, as the public keeps "throwing the bums out" we are losing more and more of our wealth to multinational billionaires and other countries (especially China) that are out-educationing us, out-entrpreneuring us, and out-producing us. The more we fall behind, the more national wealth we lose to other countries and the growing gaggle of billionaire oligarchs that know no country, the angrier regular Americans will be.

We had better understand this. We won't ever return to an "FDR" level of power (a very popular President and solid majorities in Congress for a generation) until we do understand this and select candidates who will run campaigns that speak directly and viscerally to these core issues.

PLEASE look at this chart. It is the clearest possible explanation for what happened in this election.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/1669/general-mood-country.aspx

[love_katz]

78. Who are these " regular Americans "?

You refer to them in the last sentence of your first paragraph.

[Bluetus]

84. We did not lose this election because of ...

Last edited Mon Dec 2, 2024, 01:22 AM - Edit history (2)

the MAGA idiots who went to those rallies. That's something like 10 million crazies (racists, misogynists, gun nuts, religious extremists) who have been out there every election one way or another. None of them were ever going to vote for Harris.

And it had nothing to do with the price of eggs or gasoline. Everybody repeating that nonsense doesn't understand how deep these feelings of frustration run.

The "regular Americans" are the 70% of the country who now consistently answer "wrong track," no matter which party is in control. We can all give plenty of examples of how Democrats are different from Republicans. But the "regular Americans" see the same macro trends happening, regardless of which party is in charge. They see the continued transfer of wealth and power to the 0.1%. They see the least health care security and retirement security of any western nations. They see the devastating costs of prescriptions. They see the continued exporting or automation of the best jobs. They see the continued gun violence.

I am not saying that Democrats are equally complicit as Republicans. Indeed, Democrats generally think these are all bad things. But the simple truth is that we have not been able to do very much about these deep concerns when we have had access to some power. Everybody at this forum knows there are enormous forces lined up to support the 0.1% and the biggest corporations. But the "regular Americans" aren't really understanding of that, and we make no real effort to tell them the truth about why these things happen, for fear that we will lose whatever corporate support we get, and therefore be completely wiped off the electoral map.

We had better understand these things and start addressing ourselves to the anxieties and fears of that 70%. This wasn't about one election. This is about Reaganism has done to the country over 40+ years with very little resistance from our side.

[rampartd]

76. "tnhe politically correct woke mob who hate christians and kill babies."

prettymuch everybody "real 'murkans" hate

[ms liberty]

36. Welcome to DU.

[Diamond_Dog]

3. I have heard

“He’s a tough smart leader who will restore law and order and put America first. He will make the rest of the world respect us again.”

[ShazzieB]

15. This reminds me of something.

Before the election, Alex Wagner visited one of the swing states (I think PA). She interviewed a lot of people, including some undecided (and obviously low information) voters. One of the Trump-leaning undecideds (a woman) expressed a concern that if we elected a woman potus, being represented by a female head of state would make us look "weak" to other countries!

That would tie in nicely with the idea that Trump is going to "make the rest of the world respect us again!

After the 2024 election, I will never again underestimate the stupidity or the lack of critical thinking skills of low information voters or those who get most of their "information" from right wing sources!

[róisín_dubh]

75. lol what a load of shite

(Not you, of course).
I live in the rest of the world (Europe). Europeans-as long as they’re not Orban worshipping nutters- think Trump is psychotic

[Dem4life1234]

4. They are all absurd reasons

But the one that takes the cake are those Dearborn Muslims voting for him because they think he is on their side. They don't remember his Muslim ban?

I swear that's what conmen do, make dumb people fall for stuff.

I am so ashamed of sharing the country with these idiots. The amount of votes he received was ridiculous. No wonder much of the world laughs at America, it's because of idiots like these voters.

[ShazzieB]

23. Absolutely right.

Last edited Sun Dec 1, 2024, 10:25 PM - Edit history (1)

"I swear that's what conmen do, make dumb people fall for stuff."

Yes, and the Orange Hellbeast is a master conman!

I have to marvel at the effect he has on gullible people. All I see when I look at him is a bombastic, narcissistic braggart, wearing an ill-fitting suit, ugly makeup, and a ridiculous hairdo. When he opens his mouth, all I hear are lies, hate, racism, classism, xenophobia, misogyny, greed, and extreme rudeness. The fact that so many people see and hear something drastically different never ceases to baffle me.

[Dem4life1234]

82. They are not only gullible

But they also have a hateful streak inside of them to believe that stuff that he says.

Yes, just look at him, hideous,ridiculous poorly fitted suits, makeup not of his color, and they think he is legit? I remember when he first opened his big fat mouth about politics I was thinking how no one but a small minority of idiots will fall for him, but here we are! The mainstream media was his tool.

[hadEnuf]

81. A large part of American thinking is controlled by right wing media propaganda.

It's the elephant in the room and has been for a long time.

[a kennedy]

5. I've heard it said you can't fix stupid......And, yup, there you have it, ya just can't even explain

it to them. We are gonna be in soooooooooo much shit, it’s not even gonna be funny. 🤬 🤬 🤬

[CharleyDog]

6. Are the quotes real?

Hard to believe real people said those words. Are they actually direct quotes, or paraphrasing?

[Takket]

22. i'm sure it is paraphrasing but plenty of people voted using one of those reasons, in so many words

[Meowmee]

51. They're obviously not real

[DetlefK]

68. I'm paraphrasing multiple people from multiple videos.

[keep_left]

7. Quote #2 is a classic, with a history going back to the Obama years.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219757267#post7
https://democraticunderground.com/100219709687#post13

As an unemployed person, he had supported Trump to “kill Obamacare,” only to realize after voting that the Affordable Care Act, which he relies on, is one and the same.

https://democraticunderground.com/100219709687#post37

[Dem4life1234]

39. Have you noticed?

You can spot a Trumper by their appearance.

They all have those dead eyes. They all look hateful.

[keep_left]

56. Actually, these people were "Trumpers" before Trump...

...was President. I guess they were the Tea Party idiots or whatever was current back then. This clip is at least a decade old, and the interview question is about the "difference" between Obamacare and the ACA (they're the same thing). These are now the voters who want to "kill Obamacare" (aka the ACA), which is what has provided them with health care services since its inception, and which the Trump regime wants to eliminate--with no replacement in sight. (Anyone remember Trump's "plan" that was just a binder full of blank paper?).

[Dem4life1234]

58. How could I forget the Tea Party?

I remember those nutty weird idiots.

I thought they would somehow remain a minority but vocal group, but here we are with the rapist as a leader.

[Dem4life1234]

8. Let's face it

The American mainstream media is absolutely to blame for this bs. They are not doing their jobs. This isn't the 1970s media where they at least did their duty.

I will not absolve the blame from MAGAts, but the American mainstream media has a hand in this mess, too. The ageism of Biden, the lies and fallacies spread, etc.

[intheflow]

9. The Gaza one is nuts.

My housemate's conservative Jewish family all voted Trump because they believe he'll support Israel better.

[Montauk6]

38. What's nuttier is...

"Trump will help destroy Gaza but Kamala needed to be taught a lesson."

[Hotler]

10. "We are tired of more-of-the-same". More-of-the-same of what? Tired of being forced to only work

an 8-hour day, overtime pay, health benefits, food safety, etc?

[barbtries]

14. right?

they'll learn tired after a few minutes of the chaos about to descend.

[DFW]

11. The Russians have the perfect expression for people like that

Глуп как пробка — “stupid as a cork.”

And so they are.

[WhiteTara]

12. Trump gave us so much money from the COVID funds, so I voted for him

of course, that was passed by the Democrats and ended by the Republicans.

[barbtries]

13. it's a flood

of stupidity, willful ignorance, denial, and obfuscation. No one wants to say, "I voted for TCFSF because I hate Black people, women, immigrants, poor people, and LGBTQ persons. And my hate means much more to me than the people I love or my country."

[Buns_of_Fire]

16. A tsunami of tstupid, as it were. nt

[barbtries]

19. that was the word

i was looking for and couldn't come up with. lol

[Tickle]

80. But most voters are

women. It used to be 10 million more registered women but in 2022 it went down to 7.4 million more registered. Women alone can run this country. No one can take any rights away from us, unless we let them. I don't find most women ignorant or in denial.

[Wiz Imp]

85. The fact that currently, it's believed over 50% of white women voted for Trump somehow

doesn't fill me with confidence. Of course men, specifically white men, as a collective seem like a lost cause at this point. I say that as a nearly 60 year old white man myself who is ashamed to be part of a demographic that supports Trump so strongly. I wish I knew what it would take to convince all the Trump supporting white men to see the light.

[sop]

18. Deep thoughts from the "lumpenproletariat"

[JanMichael]

20. Marx was certainly right about them.

[El-Capitan]

21. When it comes to voting for Trump, "Fool me once, shame on Trump. Fool me twice ... the shame is now on all of us."

We'll have to go back to pretending we're Canadians when travelling abroad.

[ShazzieB]

29. Shame on ALL of us?

Sorry, I don't agree. Shame on those who voted for Trump, those who voted for a third party, of didn't vote at all. Those of us who voted for Kamala Harris instead of Stupid Ass Von Hatemonger have every right to be proud of ourselves, not ashamed.

It's embarrassing to realize how many of our fellow Americans are blithering idiots, but we should not be ashamed, because WE didn't do anything to be ashamed of.

[El-Capitan]

34. I'm not going to argue the point with you.

It's an innocuous thing to say, "I'm ashamed that my fellow citizens voted Trump back into office."

Your agreement is not required.

[ShazzieB]

53. Of course my agreement is not required! 😁

Neither of us is required to agree with the other. Every individual has the right to feel however they feel, 100%! I am sorry if it sounded like I was telling you or anyone else how to feel, because I hate it when people do that!

I was reacting to the phrase "shame on all of us," because I took it to imply that all of us are somehow to blame for this mess. To me, being ashamed of something implies I am taking accountability for it. As much as I deplore Trump winning the election, I don't feel ashsmed, because the outcome was not under my personal control.

I now realize that is probably just my own idiosyncratic understanding of the word "ashamed," and not necessary the definition everyone uses. I'm sorry that didn't occur to me when I was writing that post.

You go ahead and feel however you feel! Sorry for any misunderstanding.

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

24. Why were these "FREE MARKET" clowns harping about food prices?

Don't they have boners for the free market?

Here's how to get food prices down: Have the goddamned government freeze the effin 'bank accounts of every grocery store chain in the country and cap the damn prices. Problem solved.

Can't count how many free market idiot republicans were doing political ads about prices of cereal, eggs and other such shit. Never once saw them doing an ad in a damn hardware/bldg supply store, automotive parts store or auto dealership.

Folks want $2 eggs, but no prob with a damn $2000 blab-phone or a $75,000 MAGA-mobile.

[Montauk6]

40. Don't get me started on theatre concession stands.

[sakabatou]

25. The leopards are getting fat

[Ocelot II]

28. I expect a new specialty will be offered in veterinary schools:

The treatment of obesity in leopards.

[Montauk6]

42. THEY BETTER BE FLOSSING!!!

[0rganism]

27. Whether or not those words are authentic, I'm more interested in why 8 million Democrats didn't vote for VP Harris

Apparently, some of us are finding it harder to vote when we're not in lockdown. Yet down-ballot Democrats did okay
(not fantastic, but better).

Was it the lack of a normal primary process? A super-short (100 days) campaign overly focused on celebrity endorsements? Running a black woman at the top of the ticket? Insufficient distancing from the incumbent when signs pointed to a "change election"? Insufficient public clarification of the potential damage from TSF 2.0? Successful voter suppression by state-level GOP? Some combination of these?

Democrats need solid answers to such questions, RSN. The 2026 campaign has to start in February or we're completely cooked.

[Hope22]

48. We had four years to investigate the machine compromise.

They know it happened. What did we do to prevent an even worse attack in 2024? Who knows. No recounts were requested.

[betsuni]

65. Excuses I'v seen the most: Mariah Carey-like "I don't know her" even though all they whine about is "change"

Last edited Sun Dec 1, 2024, 04:23 AM - Edit history (1)

and should be interested in someone they don't know; Harris didn't state any big differences between her and President Biden during the debate (you know, the guy described by everybody as an FDR type); Didn't solve all America's problems as Vice President; Didn't suddenly create a new foreign policy all by herself for a whole country and bring peace to to the Middle East; Didn't say the word fracking enough or something; Same thing as always, lying about Democrats ignoring working class when the less money you have the more likely to vote for Democrats because they're the only party helping the working/middle classes -- like claiming Hillary Clinton never ever ever ever talked about the economy or had any plans or policies or message when (FACT YOU CAN LOOK IT UP) the most often used word in her speeches and rallies was "jobs."

I forgot another stupid one: Harris got too close to Liz Cheney and caught cooties forcing her to hand over the country's car keys to Republicans and they'll totally take over.

All bullshit. Doesn't include the unsaid excuses. All everyone knows is: BLAME DEMOCRATS EVEN WHEN IT MAKES YOU SOUND LIKE AN IDIOT.

[love_katz]

79. You bring up an interesting point.

Funny, isn't it, that the people who voted for Piss Wig the first time around supposedly did it because tRump was an unknown, not a regular politician.

Yet, the McGreedia never questioned these people when they said they didn't know enough about Kamala to vote for her.

I wonder what the difference was for these people?


We both know what the difference is: female, POC, and they didn't want to make any open statements about their misogyny and racism.

Not going after you, going after the misogynists and racists for whom being different and an unknown is only ok for rich white men.

[NameAlreadyTaken]

30. "But I don't know enough about her policies!"

[Beck23]

31. One half of Americans have an IQ of less than 100

[chowder66]

32. Nicely done!

[lindysalsagal]

33. So, maybe we can stop admonishing the dems and Harris, now? I think it's all excises for misogyny.

These are their BS answers for "I'm not voting for the black woman."

[Old Crank]

37. No information voters

Absolutely no clue.

[TBF]

41. Where did you find these folks? Smh.

Trump will bring "change" all right. He and his billionaire friends will be looting on a grand scale, and you'll be lucky if you have some change left in your pocket.

[DetlefK]

69. AOC did a quick online poll:

She asked the people in her district: Why did you vote for both me and Trump?

Most common answer: "Because you both represent change."

[Dave Id]

43. Next couple questions..

Why were there so many stay at home voters., and didn't realize their non-voting would return the orange POS to the White House?

[Auggie]

44. Provide links, otherwise those quotes are not credible

If that's what you want to hear, or expect to hear, then say so.

[DetlefK]

70. Go to Youtube and search for "FAFO MAGA" or "FAFO Republicans"

[JanMichael]

45. And here is the dilemma. Yes they are all morons.

And they represent a good proportion of our population.

I don't see how we can appeal to them without becoming morons ourselves.

Honestly is there a solution to all of this?

[PortTack]

46. Yet none of them want to admit their racist sexist attitude! More of them than not, that was their first reason

Everything else was secondary.

[The Madcap]

47. No sympathy

These are the people who will work in factories 16 hours a day 7 days a week for near minimum wage and zero overtime pay because they have no alternatives.

Honestly, I would rather die than submit to that.

[Joinfortmill]

49. With all due respect, what stupid f*cks.

[Evolve Dammit]

50. Never underestimate the stupidity of the American electorate.

[aeromanKC]

52. It all boils down to Self over Country.

If you voted for Trump, you hate America. From this old Vet, Fuck you!!

[MineralMan]

54. Your source?

Those statements are too literate to be believed.

Unless you can provide a reliable source, I call this made up by someone.

[DetlefK]

71. Go to Youtube or Tiktok and search for "FAFO MAGA"

"Fuck around and find out"

Once you start looking, the algorithm will show you many, many more videos like this.

[MrWowWow]

55. Go Watch, "The Great Hack"

It is on Netflix. Here is a trailer.
.

.
Both U.S. presidential elections (and many others from many other countries) were manipulated by the Russians through Facebook this way.

[czarjak]

57. When were you in Lubbock?

Have heard those and then some. What we're up against.

[stollen]

59. The country appears too stupid to exist

[FakeNoose]

60. This is from The Onion - am I right?

Real Americans didn't actually say these ridiculous things ... it just isn't possible.

[DetlefK]

73. Sadly, they are real. Paraphrased but real.

For example, some muslim activist went on TV on a political talk-show and made this argument.

For example, a mid-Twenties woman made this point about abortion in a street-interview.

For example, Google-searches for"what is a tariff" spiked after election-day.

For example, AOC personally did a reach-out and voters told her that Trump represents change.

For example, a latino woman in tears recounted a phone-call with her mother, asking whether she should carry her passport with her at all times, just in case she gets snatched off the street and deported.

[Demovictory9]

61. Ive seen a lot of the " he will deport the bad immigrants, not me, im a good immigrant"

[pandr32]

62. Instead of voter ID...

How about making voters take a civics test?

[Patton French]

72. Prison

NT

[Meowmee]

74. Whether these are real or not

There is NO GOOD REASON TO VOTE FOR A FASCIST MURDERER…EVER

[woodsprite]

77. Then there is my high school graduate 30 yo

Nephew who has a CDL but no job or healthcare and lives with his dad. He told me on Thanksgiving “I can’t stand any of them. Biden never did anything for me and I’d never vote for Harris. She’s not a leader.” So he voted for Trump. His dad is a Biden, Harris voter. All I said was “so you voted for the facist. Didn’t do well in history class, huh?”

[Emile]

83. I see stupid people. How do we combat stupidity?