What’s to Like About Donald Trump?
Here’s a look at some of the qualities championed by the former president’s top-tier supporters.
THE OTHER DAY, Cathy Young assembled “101 More Reasons Trump Is Unfit to Be President,” continuing an effort begun by Amanda Carpenter four years ago. Both timelines were impressive but doubtless left a lot of material on the cutting-room floor.
Yet Trump enjoys the overwhelming support of his Republican party and its cheerleaders. What is it that his followers see in him? Here’s a short but exhaustive rundown of eleven reasons for liking if not loving Trump put forth by some of his most prominent fans, all from just the last several months.
1. He’s a great communicator!
Rudy Giuliani, October 27, 2024, Madison Square Garden:
“Like me, President Trump grew up here. He’s a New Yorker. That’s why some people get a little annoyed at him. He speaks his mind. But wouldn’t you rather have a president that communicates with you than one who sits in a basement babbling or another one who, when asked ‘Why do you want to be president?’ she says, ‘My mother was from the middle class?’”
2. Lots of people hate and fear him.
Dr. Phil, October 27, 2024, same event:
“He’s tough as an old Army boot. He’s got lots of enemies, different groups that are scared. And, between them, they have impeached him, indicted him, raided him, railroaded him, shot him, and sued him. And where is he? He is still standing.”
3. All he is saying is: Give peace a chance.
Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, October 27, 2024, same event:
“Here is the choice that we have: A vote for Kamala Harris is a vote for Dick Cheney, and it’s a vote for war, more war, likely World War III, and nuclear war. A vote for Donald Trump is a vote for a man who wants to end wars, not start them, and who has demonstrated already that he has the courage and strength to stand up and fight for peace.”
4. He’s just so selfless!
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, June 4, 2024, post on X:
“But perhaps one of the most admirable traits is how dedicated he is to putting America first.
“He is literally giving up living a self centered life enjoying his success and hard earned wealth to fight the corrupt and evil people in our government in order to Make America Great Again, not for himself, but for everyday ordinary American citizens.”
5. He’s a man of the people.
Jesse Watters, October 21, 2024, on his Fox News program, praising Trump’s staged appearance at a McDonald’s:
“What made it even more authentic is that Trump has a middle-class palate. No one likes McDonald’s more than 45. There’s also something artistic. It reminds you of an Andy Warhol painting, like political pop art, embracing mass marketing and a great American brand. Trump has completely identified himself as America. Good luck running against America.”
6. He’ll keep space travel legal.
Elon Musk, October 21, 2024, town hall meeting in Folsom, Pennsylvania:
“And I think if Trump loses, we’re going to see our cities are going to get less safe. The borders are obviously going to be wide open. We’re going to see government spending go ballistic, inflation going nuts. It’s going to be just bad on every level. And fundamentally, if the current trend of strangulation by overregulation is not turned around, we’ll never get to Mars. It just will be illegal. And then we’ll be a one-planet civilization. There won’t be a spacefaring civilization. And Starfleet will never be real. And we want Starfleet to be real.”
7. The real danger isn’t fascist pronouncements but the slightly higher cost of eggs.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, October 20, 2024, on Meet the Press:
The senator was asked about the comments made by Trump’s former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Gen. Mark Milley, who called Trump “dangerous” and a “fascist to the core.” Here is how he responded:
“To Gen. Milley, you have a right to your opinion, but I don’t fear Donald Trump. I fear what’s going on in the world today. If you want the world to stay on fire, vote for her. If you want to keep paying high prices for everything it costs to live, vote for her. . . . You’re trying to convince me that Donald Trump’s rhetoric is the danger to this country? The danger to this country is the policies of Biden and Harris. Her fingerprints are all over this disaster.”
8. He puts the people first, unlike other politicians.
JD Vance, October 27, 2024, interview with CNN:
“There are a lot of people who have gotten rich and powerful off of American decline. Some of them have had R’s next to their name. Some of them have had D’s next to their name. And the first person who I believe is really putting the interest of the American people first is Donald J. Trump.”
9. He looks pretty when he sleeps.
Rep. Lauren Boebert, May 16, 2024, during a House hearing:
Commenting on Trump’s apparent nodding off during his hush-money trial in New York— in which he would be found guilty of 34 felonies—Boebert said:
“I think he’s praying. But if he is sleeping, you know, he certainly looks pretty while he sleeps. Maybe it’s an endearing moment of prayer though. I know when I fall asleep on airplanes my mouth kinda drops open, and his mouth is kinda tight-lipped. So maybe it’s just a somber moment of thought.”
10. He’s made politics fun again.
The Undertaker (Mark Callaway), October 21, 2024, while interviewing Trump on his podcast:
“I think you need to show more of this part of you because I really think, you know, you’re a guy’s guy and a sports fan. I know you’ve got that tough-guy persona and that bravado, but I think, you know, this is good. This is fun. And I think, you know what you’ve done? You’ve made politics fun again. Yeah. And I just think some people get caught up in the fact that they look at politics now kind of like a wrestling story, and they can’t separate—they can’t separate reality.”
11. He contains multitudes.
Sen. Ted Cruz, July 17, 2024, Republican National Convention speech:
“God bless Donald J. Trump. And let me start by giving thanks to God Almighty for protecting President Trump. Donald, you’re a sniveling coward and leave Heidi the hell alone.” (Oops, that last sentence is actually something Cruz said during the 2016 presidential race, after Trump called Cruz’s wife ugly.)
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