Lost Soul

James George

How to Select an American President

8 March 2024

Lost Soul

A Cousin Who Never Got It

My cousin passed last year, and for a while, we quarreled as he was a Trump MAGA supporter. I wondered why. I tried to understand because I knew the facts about him.

He worked for his brother as a sheriff's deputy.

He came from a farm family.

He was a white male living in a dominant white rural community.

He spent most of his life working for a communications company.

He had no military service.

He wasn’t particularly religious.

He enjoyed his life with his wife and family.

He was middle class in a rural village.

“Racial and ethnic composition of 2022 voters

More than eight-in-ten Republican voters in 2022 (85%) were White, non-Hispanic, down slightly (from 88%) compared with the 2018 midterms. Nearly identical shares of Democratic voters in 2022 (64%) and 2018 (65%) were White.”

Pew Research: Demographic profiles of Republican and Democratic voters

What my cousin resented or feared the most was having his taxes paid for welfare. (He lived on Social Security.) He worked hard all his life and didn’t believe anyone “down on their luck” deserved a break. When I probed this notion, it came down to greed and assuming that the “government” spends too much.

When attempting to understand his ideas about “too much,” he could not or would not answer. He threw up his hands in futility. Why? He could not think about it in detail or express his opinion because he had no basis for his feelings.

When I asked him why he was a Trump supporter, the answer came down to his belief that Trump stood for minimal control by the government and my cousin's affinity for joining the crowd whom he perceived as “winners.” 

What is a winner, I asked. His answer was surprising — people who have money and play golf.

Did my cousin have money? No, not much. Did he play golf? Yes. Did my cousin gamble and drink? The answer was when he could.

My cousin didn’t want his feathers ruffled. He wanted to be on a winning team. He died believing he won. That is for others to judge.

Bloomberg Image