THE POSITIVE CASE FOR TRUMP.

Alex Hinton, who is a senior anthropologist at the Newark campus of Rutgers, offers it.

I have been examining toxic polarization – and ways to stop it. Many efforts to reduce people’s polarized views begin with an injunction: Listen and understand.

To this end, I have attended Trump rallies, populist and nonpartisan events and meetings where Democrats and Republicans connect and talk. Along the way, I have spoken with Trump supporters ranging from the Make America Great Again, or MAGA, faithful to moderate “hold the nose and vote for him” conservatives.

And indeed, many on the left fail to understand who Trump voters are and how they vary. Trump’s base cannot simply be dismissed as racist “deplorables”, as Hillary Clinton famously said in 2016, or as country bumpkins in red MAGA hats. Trump voters trend older, white, rural, religious and less educated. But they include others outside those demographic groups.

Many people have thoughtful reasons for voting for Trump.

He's engaging in the same sort of ethnography Brad Todd and Salena Zito offered in The Great Revolt.  That book disaggregates voters more finely.  Professor Hinton suggests five essential elements contribute to a Trump vote, with his list being an enumeration rather than a ranking.

1.  Media distortion.
2.  Bread on the table, money in the bank.
3.  A border invasion.
4.  A proven record.
5.  The MAGA bull in a china shop.

That is, the Professional-Managerial Class has failed, and voters might be willing to forgive Mr Trump for the troubles during the corona shutdowns, as he trusted the very Professional Managerial types who were treated with even more respect at the beginning of the presidency that followed.

We'll see in about six weeks how it turns out.  Pay attention to your state legislatures and school boards.