Donald And His 74 Million American Voters

As former President Donald Trump was charged with his fourth criminal case over a four-and-a-half-month span, I thought of 74 million Americans who voted for him in the 2020 Presidential Election. Despite facing a total of 91 felony charges, his supporters haven't been hindered. The first debate among Republican candidates sans former President Trump demonstrated his stronghold. Folks in the audience booed at any direct or implied anti-Trump. 

Photo by Jose M on Unsplash

The constitutional qualifications for being a U.S. president are being a natural-born U.S. citizen, a resident for at least 14 years and at least 35 in age. A criminal conviction does not affect eligibility although the person can be disqualified by conviction in a Senate impeachment trial. So, we know that the former president will continue to campaign for the next presidential election. The prospect of having the former president becoming the 47th President of the United States while in prison is frightening as it feels surreal. I am curious about how the Secret Service will work in prison. 

It is no secret that Hunter Biden has struggled with drug addiction. When cocaine was discovered at the White House earlier this year, Hunter did pop into my head while I also thought it could've been planted to falsely accuse him. Hunter is an easy target in attempts to politically assassinate President Joe Biden's character. 

As his plea deal with the U.S. Justice Department floundered and collapsed, I thought of the former president's two adult sons, Donald Jr. and Eric. We've suspected them taking advantage of their father being the President of the United States. We've suspected Jared Kushner of using his influence to provide advantages to his allies while his father-in-law was in the White House. Is it unfair that Hunter Biden is being suspected of criminal activities when there may be evidence to investigate? 

His father being the President and facing an election has put a spotlight on Hunter's conduct, but we can't give him a pass because we are desperately afraid that any criminal activity by Hunter could damage President Biden in the upcoming election and the former president returning to the White House. Be it federal income tax evasion, a false statement on the Firearms Transaction Record, or questionable relationships with foreign entities, we cannot give a pass to Hunter. If we did, we would be no better than Team Trump. 

Clearly, I am not on Team Trump. This may shock some of you, but I am also not on Team Biden. While my politics lean towards the left rather than the right and I identify myself as a Democrat, I am a realist who believes this nation needs a centralist rather than politically polarized ideologists. Calling former President Trump a politically polarized ideologist rather than a dangerous narcissist seems obtuse, but I cannot dismiss 74 million voters from the 2020 Presidential election. They voted for him because they didn't see him as a dangerous narcissist, but they connected with him on at least one social-economic-political issue while he was in the White House. 

In the 2016 Presidential election, nearly 63 million Americans voted for Mr. Trump to make him this nation's 45th President. 4 years later, about 11 million more Americans connected with him.  Former President Trump isn't the problem. He is a hateful and ignorant bully, but he isn't powerful because of his hate, ignorance and bullying. He is powerful because 74 million Americans legitimized his hate, ignorance and bullying. Without those 74 million Americans, Mr. Trump would be a washed-up TV personality often taking his businesses to bankruptcy courts. Six of his businesses have sought bankruptcy protection. 

It is frightening that 74 million Americans voted for him, isn't it? We live in such a politically polarized society. We've become extreme with our views, ill at different perspectives. I'm sure there are some bigots, sexists, and bullies among those 74 million Americans. I know a handful of bigots, in particular Karens, sexists and bullies among 81 million Americans who voted for President Biden back in 2020. Honestly, both sides have trash in the mix. 

I am not afraid of former President Trump. I am scared to death of 74 million Americans who voted for him in the last election. I don't believe those 74 million Americans are all bigots, sexists or bullies. I believe some are hard-working good folks who are frustrated at this nation's failing social service system while we provide billions of dollars yearly in foreign aid. We should help everyone we can, but are we hateful and ignorant when we want to take care of those in our communities, cities, counties, states and country first before providing foreign aid? 

I'm relieved when I read about undocumented immigrants arriving in buses from Texas and receiving housing, food, aid in connecting with families and legal services from the city, nonprofits and NGOs. However, is it wrong that I wonder why the city, nonprofits and NGOs that came together for the undocumented immigrants cannot do the same for the 75,000 homeless in the greater Los Angeles area? Why is it that we welcome and provide aid to undocumented immigrants, but we shun the homeless who are already living in inhuman conditions on our streets? 

Are some of Trump voters, even a handful, angry at how we value aiding those from foreign soil while neglecting those already in need on our soil? I thought about that as I last read about undocumented immigrants arriving in Los Angeles earlier this week. We should help everyone, but the reality is that we can't and don't. If we have to pick and choose, should it be sending aid to foreign countries or providing aid in our country to ensure everyone has safe shelter, food, water, clothes, and medical treatments?

And should that aid be for the lifetime or should we provide occupational rehabilitation and support for self-sustainability rather than a lifetime of dependency on the system? Are a handful of Trump voters frustrated at our overburdened and failing social service system? Perhaps, it is time to stop using ideologies based on sociology and use some business acumen to run our social service system. It has failed us for decades, so perhaps it is time to drastically change how we view and operate this nation's social service system. As Albert Einstein said... The definition of 'insanity' is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. 

Is that what a handful of Trump voters want? A change, any kind of change, rather than feeling insane by doing the same thing for decades, failing, and yet expecting different results? Even an ardent Democrat would have to agree that former President Trump was a change. I wouldn't call him a breath of fresh air, but he certainly was a change.

Former President Trump pointed at minorities for Americans to place their frustrations, anger, desperations and fears on. Isn't it always nice when we have someone to blame for our problems and ill feelings? Doesn't it feel good to let out those ill feelings? He is a gifted marketer.

I worry that we focus too much on the former president. While it is historical that he has been charged in four criminal cases with 91 felony charges, it won't be something President Biden can swing during the campaign to win over Trump supporters. Years have passed since the alleged criminal activities took place and the indictments started just as the Republican primary campaign kicked off. Former President Trump's indictment in New York dates to alleged criminal activities from August 2015 to December 2017. When you see it from his supporters' perspective, it is enough to breathe a conspiracy theory. 

We should let the prosecutors do their jobs. We need to work towards having discussions, negotiating and aligning on social-economic-political issues that don't violate human rights with those who voted for him in the 2020 election. We need to win over handfuls of voters over multiple issues, so those handfuls of voters can be millions of voters for President Biden. We need to face the reality that we can't afford to demand it is our way or the highway. That highway is former President Trump as the next president of the United States. We have to change before expecting the other side to move towards change.