Many Donald Trump Supporters Don't Understand the Basics of His Platform

Facts do not necessarily matter to Trump supporters, as evidenced by the phenomenon that they frequently misunderstand or are not familiar with the basics of his policies or platform. Rather, they instead make their decisions based on rhetoric and beliefs over substance. Thoughtful debate is forced out of the room as supporters instead rely on gut feelings. For instance, throughout his first campaign, Trump repeatedly exaggerated or embellished crime statistics to make it seem as if there were a real threat of violence to Americans. CNN's Jake Tapper confronted Trump's then-campaign manager, Paul Manafort, with the falsehood. Tapper noted that FBI statistics showed crime had been declining for decades. Violent crimes, such as murder in particular, peaked some 30 years ago in the 1990s and have been declining ever since. Rather than engage with this fact or offer counter statistics Manafort instead leaned on the language of feelings and beliefs. “People don’t feel safe in their neighborhoods,” Manafort said, dismissing the data. This rhetorical strategy appeals to emotions over reasoning. It is a tactic that is typical of both Trump supporters and staff. They will frequently dismiss facts in favor of their own "feelings." They exhibit a similar reaction as soon as they are asked to dig deeper on Trump's plans to carry out campaign promises. For instance, when the Daily Show's Jordan Klepper asked a Trump supporter who was going to pay for Trump's proposed border wall on the U.S.'s southern frontier with Mexico, the man could only reply: “That’s what we’re gonna find out." Because he had no clue. Similarly, when Klepper asked about how the impeachment trial unfolded, supporters could only respond with vague generalizations such as “It’s bullshit.” They struggled to point to specifics as to why they believe what they do (or why Trump believes what he does). Another frequent tactic for deflection of discussing any concrete policies is to simply parrot what Trump has said on a particular issue. For example, surrounding the impeachment trial, Trump repeatedly urged critics to simply read the transcript, saying it would cast aside any doubt of his innocence. Trump supporters similarly repeated: “All you have to do is read the transcript." At the same time, many of those supporters being interviewed admitted that they themselves had not yet read the transcript.