“Why do they vote against their own interests?”
You have probably said this many times over the last decade when it came to some Republican voters. We have watched as they said no to educational, health care, environmental, wage and economic improvements while voting for politicians who seem hell-bent on keeping them in their current position, no matter how bad it may be.
It has been frustrating for many Democrats, both on the national and state level, as they find that the policies they champion to help the average American seem to be ignored by the average American.
Over Trump’s latest 100 days, we have seen this play out repeatedly. From a tariff rollout that caused havoc on the stock market, to immigration enforcement that has wrecked due process and now involves $1,000 payouts to migrants who self-deport, to layoffs of his own voters, to threatened cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, it seems as if President Trump might not have the best interests of his voters in mind.
Despite all the doom and gloom, his core support has not eroded, according to poll numbers.
The answer to this is pretty simple. Trump voters are okay with suffering, as long as other people hurt more. To them, it shows that the status quo is being preserved and the changes to America that they fear are being mitigated. And the Democrats and media help by letting them know the status quo is being preserved.
Let’s talk about farmers. There is no doubt that the Trump tariff plan will hurt farmers. The only question will be how much it will hurt them. However, we are already seeing a division among farmers that tells them someone will hurt worse than them, Black farmers. A group that has already endured a multitude of challenges going back hundreds of years may now be more affected by tariffs than white farmers. So, in the eyes of a MAGA voter their idea of the status quo is maintained.
Most of us have heard the saying “the cruelty is the point,” which was coined by Adam Serwer to describe the feelings of Trump voters who seem to revel in the suffering of others. Democrats need to understand that this extends to a willingness of MAGA voters to suffer as long as it means other people get it worse.
Yeah, it stinks that veterans are being laid off by the Department of Government Efficiency, but it also hurts a growing Black middle class so they are OK with it. They may be uncomfortable with the fact that due process is being ignored by the Department of Justice, but it’s affecting immigrants and non-white Americans so all is good.
The assault on DEI and affirmative action was lauded by white Americans (and some Asian Americans too), while ignoring the fact that legacy admissions practices that adversely affect poor white and Asian students remain in place.
I can go on and on, but the point remains the same. This may seem like a depressing thought that no matter how bad MAGA voters suffer under Trump, they are fine with others being worse off.
But there is an opportunity for Democrats to finally break the hold Trump has on his supporters. Convince them they are the ones hurting worse than any other group in the U.S. Trump voters may be telling you that they are okay with cutting their doll quotas for their kids this Christmas. But if Democrats can make it stick that they are the ones worse off, these voters will suddenly care about Trump’s policies.
Now, if you are a Republican or a very cynical Democrat, you probably just chuckled. Because you know as well as I that the Democratic establishment will read that and then do the opposite. They will go to Trump’s working-class voters and tell them about how much Black, Latino, Asian, immigrant, gay, transgender, etc. Americans are hurting, and then be stupefied when these voters rejoice in response.
That is called identity politics, and it has been the Achilles heel for the Democrats for some time, even if they don’t want to admit it. I am not saying that Democrats need to not care about those groups mentioned above and others as well. What I am saying is, you have to convince MAGA voters that Trump is hurting them just as much, if not more, than those groups. Only then will Trump’s seemingly unbreakable hold on his base weaken.
Jos Joseph is a master’s candidate at the Harvard Extension School at Harvard University. He is a Marine veteran who served in Iraq and lives in Anaheim, Calif.
