A Malnourished Nation

How Trump Won the Election

The Question

Today, Donald Trump is being inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States of America. Before the election, I started pondering how he had even a fraction of the support he did. After the election, I continued to read, talk to thoughtful friends on both sides, and think about how this happened. My goal was not to rapidly publish a piece blaming one side or the other as to why Kamala Harris lost the election. Rather, I really wanted to see if I could arrive at an understanding of this catastrophe that made sense to me and answered a very simple question: how could good and decent people support Donald Trump for President of the United States?

The evidence that Trump is unfit for office is vast. He has told us and shown us who he is for the past 8 years. His unfitness is demonstrated by behavior that runs the gamut from mildly disturbing to terrifying. He incited a mob to the point that they led an insurrection against the US government as our leaders were certifying an election that Joe Biden indisputably won. He has shown profound temperamental instability that precludes effective leadership, with extraordinary susceptibility to influence by those who would flatter him. He has admitted on tape that he is a sexual predator. He is a convicted felon who had more charges pending when he won election. Most disturbingly, prior to the election he expressed and demonstrated a full-throated fascist stance. Yet just shy of 50% of Americans voted for him. How can this be?