Perhaps the biggest fallacy in characterizing the type of person who supported and still supports Donald Trump—one that I’ve been guilty of believing and sharing myself—is that the type of person he appeals to lacks the sophistication to realize that his promises of returning long-dead American jobs in steel and coal and manufacturing aren’t just lies. They’re impossible. They are never, ever, ever coming back.
Of course, we (and by “we” I mean “everyone apparently, except New York Times columnists”) have accepted that these people understood the latent racial dog whistling in Trump’s messaging. Making America great again is a succinct assurance that jobs and opportunities would be returned to the people who deserve them by white birthright. And while this race-based presumption of merit is abhorrent, it is understandable if they sincerely believe that the only way for them to do better is for us to do worse.
But as the Trump administration prepares to phase out Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA—which protects at least 800,000 undocumented immigrants from deportation—please know that the people who support this terrible and evil act know that removing immigrants like those protected by DACA from America won’t resurrect those dead fucking jobs in those dead fucking cities. They know that the American manufacturing ship been sailed and that Trump’s bitch ass is lying.
Do not allow yourself to infantilize them or believe that there’s any nobility in their beliefs. Perhaps they’re ignorant about certain facts, but they understand the psychology of their president’s platform. They don’t give a damn about bettering their own fucking lives. They just want ours to suck, too.
Fuck them all.