Trump's fans

Doug Henwood dhenwood at panix.com
Fri Oct 29 07:28:30 PDT 1999


[From Sam Smith's Progressive Review. Trump wasn't exactly self-made; his father was a rich developer. A friend of mine once speculated that the reason Trump is so arrogant - and unwilling to emulate his social betters - is that he grew up with money, and doesn't have the anxieties of an arriviste.]

Jane Mayer reports in the New Yorker that surveys find that Donald Trump's biggest supporters are blacks, latinos, and white voters who earn less than $25,000 a year. Says one of Trump's associates: "It's a lifestyle thing. They think, 'If I hit the lottery -- that's the way I would live.' The boats, the planes, the beautiful women. That doesn't appeal to the Ph.D's or old money, but he's from Queens -- he's got regular-guy appeal." And Trump had this message for New Yorker readers: "They may think of me as nouveau riche, but I probably did a lot better in college than most of your readers. The old rich who fancy themselves intellectuals? Most of them never even made any money themselves. They may look down their noses at me -- but I think they kiss my ass."



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