A new PPP poll provided proof that racism is a driving factor in support for Donald Trump as by a margin of 45%-17% Trump voters believed that whites are the most discriminated against group followed by Native Americans and African-Americans at 17% and 16% each.
According to PPP, “The reason Trump hasn’t lost more ground for his widely panned response to the attack is probably that many of his supporters agree with some of the beliefs that led white supremacists to rally in Charlottesville in the first place. Asked what racial group they think faces the most discrimination in America, 45% of Trump voters say it’s white people followed by 17% for Native Americans with 16% picking African Americans, and 5% picking Latinos. Asked what religious group they think faces the most discrimination in America, 54% of Trump voters says it’s Christians followed by 22% for Muslims and 12% for Jews. There is a mindset among many Trump voters that it’s whites and Christians getting trampled on in America that makes it unlikely they would abandon Trump over his ‘both sides’ rhetoric.”
Trump voters think that white Christians are the most discriminated against groups in the country. This finding is not surprising in the least to anyone who has attended a Trump event or spent any time speaking to Trump voters.
All of the hand-wringing in the media and among some Democrats over the “loss of white working class voters due to the economy” was bogus. Many who support Donald Trump do so because they share his white supremacist beliefs. Trump supporters don’t care about the economy. Trump is a backlash to eight years of an African-American occupying the White House. The Republican Party built the platform that enabled Trump’s rise by happily diving into racial politics in an all cost effort to oppose Obama and take back Congress.
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The Republican Party may not be full of racists, but for a large number of Trump supporters, the President’s cozying up to white power hate groups is right in line with their beliefs.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
