Politics / Social Issues

Why is Donald Trump so popular with a large number of Republican voters? Donald Trump is the frontrunner in the race for the Republican nomination, yet he started off as something of a joke. Everybody laughed at him throwing his name in the hat at first, and even when he started to gain some support nobody took him seriously. It wasn’t until he started to really rise in the ranks of the race and didn’t seem to be going away that everyone knew he was serious. Since then he has grown arguably the most energetic and motivated supporter base besides Sanders, and he has received a lot of critiques from mainstream republicans. So why is Donald Trump so popular? Also, why does the media vilify him so much?

Donald Trump with his wife Melania

Trump has been a slap in the face to political correctness from the start. He has said what he has wanted to say without caring about repercussions. The news sites and popular media constantly attack him and he still does not care about the bad publicity. This stubborn independence and unwillingness to bend to the mainstream media has also garnered him tons of supporters. These supporters are tired of thought police, and they are disgusted by what is happening on many college campuses.

Furthermore, Trump’s supporters love him for his personality. He has the personality of a businessman who will get the deal that he wants with no compromises. His personality says, “If I want something, then I’ll get it, guaranteed.” This is a very attractive personality considering the Republican Party always compromises, and the voters are getting frustrated.

Trump was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007

Additionally, Trump is being seen as anti-establishment by many of his supporters. They are tired of the politicians they vote in being persuaded by favors. They want real change, and Trump is promising them exactly that. He has a strongman attitude, and it is the same reason why his supporters love him and many Republicans dislike him. The mainstream Republicans are afraid that he would take over the party. This disproval of Trump in the Republican Party is so strong that many are talking of a contested convention.

His supporters are mostly conservatives that are fed up with the GOP compromising with the Democratic Party. They are fed up with drug dealers crossing our borders unmolested and wreaking havoc in the American southwest. An idea like building a wall to stop illegal immigration, though a simple answer without any real substance, appeals to them. The Left has constantly had its way with Congress for years now even when they were not the majority, and the only reason is because Republicans are painted as obstructionists and eventually cave in to the demands of the Left despite the support of their constituents. The supporters also want a fence because they wish to protect the American worker from the low wages brought about by an increasing labor force.

US Border Patrol in South Texas McAllen, Rio Grande Valley river on September 24, 2013

Nativism, Patriotism, and Anti-PC are the sentiments Trump is largely appealing to in this election, and millions are loving it. It has been many years since a populist candidate has had a legitimate chance of winning the presidential election, and Trump is the guy who many conservative populists are gathering behind. He even has the electric speeches that ignite the populist souls in many conservatives. Why is Donald Trump so popular? It depends on whom you ask. The answer might be “because he is a dynamic personality and a strong, uncompromising leader”. Or maybe the answer would be “because his supporters are xenophobic, uneducated morons.” I’ve actually heard both responses. Whatever the reason as to why Trump is so popular, he might just be the next president of the United States.