Opinion

What the Media Doesn’t ‘Get’ About Trump Supporters

What the Media Doesn’t ‘Get’ About Trump Supporters
President Donald Trump speaks while hosting a breakfast with business leaders in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Jan. 23, 2017. At left is Wendell P. Weeks, Chief Executive Officer of Corning, at right is Alex Gorsky Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson. AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
Jack Phillips
Jack Phillips
Breaking News Reporter
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No president in modern history has been subjected to the type of media scrutiny that Donald Trump experienced during the first weeks of his administration.

Even though nearly 63 million people, or about half, voted for Trump, you still wouldn’t know it reading through Google News or the New York Times’s front page.

To his supporters, the factual gaffes made by him and White House spokespeople can be easily overlooked if he demolishes the political and media establishment in Washington. Moreover, they believe Trump “speaks his mind”—often bluntly.

Trump, meanwhile, views everything as a deal and takes a business approach to politics, which his surrogates seem to adore and often celebrate. People who voted for him know this well. They’re very familiar with his loose style of speaking. His supporters know, and many are happy, that he’s not a politician, and, considering his well-known sales background, they expect a certain amount hyperbole—something Trump excels at. 

Trump doesn’t follow the established political playbook. Again, this is one of the reasons people voted for him. Trump critics would do well to stop viewing him as a person and more like a phenomenon: His supporters view him as a wrecking ball to what they see as a corrupt political establishment.

White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon at the White House in Washington on Jan. 31, 2017. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon at the White House in Washington on Jan. 31, 2017. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Jack Phillips
Jack Phillips
Breaking News Reporter
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter who covers a range of topics, including politics, U.S., and health news. A father of two, Jack grew up in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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