Why did America elect Donald Trump as President? His policies did not align with Republican orthodoxy. Republicans have championed free trade. Republicans have championed moral comportment of public personalities. Republicans have championed budgets that reduce the federal deficit.
So something about Trump's personality, his charisma have persuaded Center Right and far right voters. I believe it is the popular culture. That is to say the culture spawned by two regrettable factions in American culture namely reality television and professional wrestling.
In both of these factions, we find similar means of behavior. Sensationalism and violence. Trump's appeal appears to be driven by his off-the-cuff rhetoric that leans on driving fear, suspicion and division. The same rhetoric that drives reality TV and professional wrestling. Alliances to divide one faction from another are the stock and trade of reality RV shows. Trump is a reality TV star and brings that tactic to work every day.
Sensational canard laden rhetoric motivates the fans of reality TV as well as fans of professional wrestling. Most Americans take this with a healthy grain of salt. But to the low brow culture set who admires the fake nature of wrestling and the banal concerns of reality TV shows, sensational rhetoric from the president has appeal of a particularly dangerous quality. Those fans want the same level of behavior on the part of the head of state.
Is it then true that Trump supporters are not sufficiently cosmopolitan to see the hazards of reality TV/WWE behavior on behalf of the leader of our nation! Are we now under the influence of a generation that has forgotten virtues and favor vices?
I'm sure that you have been told this before, but you need to look no further than your own mirror for why Trump was elected President.
The continued nastiness from the left, and the spinelessness of the GOP to fight back are the only two real indicators you need to understand this.
Even to this day, the Democrats are giving the GOP lessons in "standing your ground". Proof? Look at Adam Schitt and his refusal to even acknowledge just what a lying piece of shit he is, and the rest of the Democrats are holding firm in backing him.
Would that the GOP had that kind of backbone, this country wouldn't have needed to elect someone like Trump.