Questioning Trump’s Dependence on ‘Silent Majority’ | Eastern NC Now

James Antle of the Washington Examiner highlights a potential flaw in President Trump’s re-election strategy.

ENCNow
Publisher's note: The author of this post is Mitch Kokai for the John Locke Foundation.

    James Antle of the Washington Examiner highlights a potential flaw in President Trump's re-election strategy.

  • President Trump is staking his reelection on a "silent majority" of people who he believes will rally to him as the last line of defense against urban lawlessness and attacks on national symbols. But the silent majority may not translate into either a popular vote or an electoral majority, Republican strategists increasingly fear.
  • "Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our founders, deface our most sacred memorials, and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities," Trump said in his Fourth of July celebration remarks at Mount Rushmore. Zeroing in on both the cultural conflicts and traditional "law-and-order" themes, Trump declared, "The American people are strong and proud, and they will not allow our country and all of its values, history, and culture, to be taken from them."
  • Trump tweeted last month: "THE VAST SILENT MAJORITY IS ALIVE AND WELL!!! We will win this Election big." ...
  • ... The phrase is borrowed from Richard Nixon, who was elected president in 1968 during a similar period of unrest. While accepting the Republican nomination, he celebrated "the great majority of Americans, the forgotten Americans, the non-shouters, the non-demonstrators." He added, "They're not racist or sick, they're not guilty of the crime that plagues the land. They are good people; they are decent people. They work hard, and they save, and they pay their taxes, and they care."
  • This is similar to how Trump describes the MAGA base. His backers also frequently talk about "hidden voters" who exist undetected by pollsters and aided his unexpected 2016 win.
  • Still, recent polling shows Trump far from the 49-state landslide reelection Nixon won in 1972. The current president's numbers have gotten worse since the George Floyd protests began, suggesting the silent majority is even quieter than it was before — or no longer a majority.

Go Back


Leave a Guest Comment

Your Name or Alias
Your Email Address ( your email address will not be published )
Enter Your Comment ( text only please )




COVID Hospitalizations in Context John Locke Foundation Guest Editorial, Editorials, Op-Ed & Politics Teachers’ Unions Block Plans to Reopen Schools


HbAD0

Latest Op-Ed & Politics

says foreign ties of Democrat Socialists of America need to be investigated
massive data collection by license plate readers on highways and streets threaten freedom
“I’m from America, 250 years ago we were way bigger than 6/1 dogs, and look at us thriving now.” Justin Gaethje pulls off an all time sports upset.

HbAD1

There are many people who overlook the brilliance of the US Constitution. They argue that it is outdated and unfit to adequately govern such a modern nation as ours in the 21st century.

HbAD2

"I plan to keep his counsel close until our paths cross again," JD Vance said on Thursday.
On Tuesday, Democratic Gov. Josh Stein signed an executive order creating the bipartisan Health Care Affordability Commission that he said will look at ways to make healthcare more affordable for North Carolinians.
"Margo’s Got Money Troubles" explores how financial desperation drives women to OnlyFans. That’s not empowering. It’s exploitative.

HbAD3

 
 
Back to Top