Hogan: Portsmouth Trump Rally and America's Crisis of Trust

There was a small Trump rally in Portsmouth NH on Thursday. I decided to be brave and go up to them and ask them why they supported Trump. No hostility intended, I just wanted to better understand how they perceived the world and the election.

They had large flags and I first approached the densest cluster of men holding them. I asked them what they liked about Trump. They must have been able to tell I wasn't part of their tribe so they brushed me off, closed ranks and said they were talking about boats. I then left these nautical enthusiasts and asked a young lady under a big blue Trump flag what she liked about Trump and she was gracious enough to indulge me. Here is what I learned about how they see things.

1. Trump has been good for minorities. This was the first thing she said. She asked if I knew all the good things he's done. I got the sense that they felt us liberal pinkos just didn't appreciate his good works. I replied with a list of the things that I know they often cite, money for HBCU's, opportunity zones etc. My counter was that while some of these things are good, or at the least not evil, they were not the societal breakthroughs they think. We didn't reach consensus but I did think it was interesting how highly they ranked this.

2. Corruption. This was general and vague but repeated often. They particularly felt that the election was corrupt.

3. The Dems will make this country communist. I explained that Communism has a particular meaning and asked if they thought that Biden was going to seize the means of production. I don't think we reached an understanding on what they mean by communism, just that they are certain it's coming.

4. Biden is a pedophile. When I said there was no evidence for this, she told me to do my research and we debated media bias. The important takeaway is how completely they distrust the media. Trump's fans are the keepers of a secret wisdom that only the independent minded can extract from the internet media ecosystem. This was perhaps the most worrying position as failure to make progress here ensures that we will be in different realities for some time.

The oddest comment that stuck with me came from one of the guys when I was discussing media bias and economic systems. He asked if I went to community college or something. I couldn't tell what he meant by that. Community colleges are great so if it's an insult, I don't get it.

As I chatted with her, the grumpy men became more tolerant of my presence. I think there is a siege mentality where they expect a liberal to spit at them and are surprised when it doesn't happen. I was very honest with them, saying that I was hostile to Trump but I kept things chill and I think the interaction was useful if for no other reason than to force amiable contact across the ideological divide.

The lady I chatted with was very kind and I was grateful she was willing to chat but I left still unsure of how this divide can be bridged. They got many supportive honks, and many middle fingers so the country is definitely divided. There was also someone there, taking pictures of the rally so out there somewhere is a picture of me chatting under a big blue Trump flag. What a hilarious/horrifying way to memorialize my olive branch.