If anyone ever doubted the degree to which the Trump voter is misinformed, this clip from last night’s Rachel Maddow’s program is eye-opening. It is no longer funny. It presents a danger wherein Trump can manipulate his base to create chaos when he needs a distraction.
Rachel Maddow exposes the Trump voter
Rachel Maddow dissected a PPP poll exclusively pre-released to MSNBC showing the Trump voter as severely detached from reality. Rachel started the segment by pointing out that President Obama’s overall approval rating is at 50%. However, while his favorability with Republicans is 9%, it is only 5% of Trump voters.
Rachel started the segment by pointing out that President Obama’s overall approval rating is at 50%. However, while his favorability with Republicans is 9%, it is only 5% of Trump voters.
Rachel then pivoted to issue after issue where a large percentage of Trump voters were severely misinformed. They live in a virtually fact-free or made-up-fact environment.
The stock market under President Obama soared. The Dow Jones Industrial average went from 7,949.09 to 19,614.91, again, up 11,665.72. In other words, it more than doubled. 39% of Trump voters think the stock market went down under Obama.
Unemployment dropped from 7.8% to 4.6% during the Obama administration. Clinton, Johnson, Stein and other voters are well aware of that fact.
But not Donald Trump voters; 67% of them believe unemployment rose under President Obama.
Rachel continued.
- 40% of Trump voters believe that Donald Trump won the popular vote.
- 60% of Trump voters believe that millions voted illegally for Clinton.
- 73% of Trump voters believe that George Soros paid Trump protesters.
- 29% of Trump voters believe California vote should not be included in the popular vote.
Rachel’s statement near the end of the segment was prescient.
“I think it shows that even after the election, what Trump voters believe about the world is distinctively different from what the rest of the country believe,” Rachel said. “And from what is true. And this is an alternate reality that they are in, — it is weird enough and specific enough that you can’t say it just springs from broader a misunderstandings or from a broader ignorance on issues that afflicts the country. And this is a specific alternate reality that was created by the Trump movement for a political purpose. And it worked for that political purpose. And now as the Trump administration takes shape, they have to know that they are in power thanks to their voter base that has these false beliefs about the country. False beliefs about the country, false beliefs about the economy, false beliefs about the outgoing president, false beliefs about what California is. In terms of what happens next in our country, it seems important to know this incoming president basically created this fantasy life for his supporters.”
One of the reasons Trump may want to keep the rallies going is to ensure his base remains ill-informed. Given his agenda, he will depend on that ignorance lest his draconian policies are dead on arrival.