“Are you better off than you were four years ago?” For many Trump voters, the answer to Ronald Reagan’s famous question is clear: “No.”
This is one of the key findings in a recent article in The Conversation titled, “Why So Many People Voted For Trump.”
But what if the reason so many people voted for Trump is not to be found in the economy, immigration, or any other specific issue?
What if the reason is that different people struggling with different problems all believe that Trump is the solution to their particular problem?
If that is the case, we can learn more about Trump’s success by focusing on how he deals with the questions voters ask than on how he deals with their answers.
Trump Speaks To The People Behind The Poll Numbers
According to polling experts, election polls have become less reliable because people no longer respond to them. “The game’s over,” Professor Michael Bailey says to Scientific America. “Once you have a 1 percent response rate, you don’t have a random sample,” and polls are only as good as their sample.
In other words, voters don’t just reject one candidate or the other, they also reject the methods the candidates use to measure their political stance.
Voters do not think of themselves as respondents who just react to whatever comes their way. They think of themselves as human beings who interact with each other and proactively take a stand at what is and isn’t important.
To speak to the people behind the poll numbers, leaders cannot rely solely on the answers given in leader-defined surveys. They must remember that voters ask their own questions. And that they expect their leaders to take their questions seriously.
Trump Is Not Afraid Of Stupid Questions
Most leaders know the saying, “there is no such thing as a stupid question.” But they don’t know how to live by it. They often feel they must censor their own questions to avoid appearing ignorant or incompetent, and they react dismissively when others ask questions that may be perceived as politically incorrect.
But not Trump. He doesn’t seem to censor anything, and he couldn’t care less about political correctness. It makes him appear honest and sends a clear signal that whatever you as a voter are struggling with, he can — and will — handle it.
Questions Trump Will Answer That Others Won’t
“He might be a convicted felon who talks and behaves like a crazy person, but he is the only leader who takes the problem of [insert problem of your choice] seriously. And that’s all that matters to me.”
This seems to be the reasoning of many Trump voters. And succeeding in making people think this way is what sets Trump apart from most other leaders. But what is it Trump is willing to do that other leaders are not?
In short, he is not afraid to answer questions that most leaders would be embarrassed to even consider asking (out loud). Here are a few examples:
- Who are the only humans who really matter? Americans.
- Who alone is to blame for all our problems? Illegal immigrants.
- Do basic human rights also apply to people who are not like us? No.
- Can the right man fix everything that’s wrong in a few hours? Yes.
- Is the right man a “real man”? Yes.
Trump Knows That Real Beats Right
Trump’s opponents say that he doesn’t care about people, he only cares about himself. It may well be, but that is not the point. The point is that if people believe that you listen to them, then they also believe that you want what’s best for them.
Not being afraid of answering questions that other leaders consider stupid, political incorrect or embarrassing with a simple yes, no, or “illegal immigrants” has once again proven to be a successful strategy for Trump.
But does that mean other leaders should do the same?
Yes and no. Yes, leaders should make more room for more questions — especially those that may not sound right but feel very real. And no, they shouldn’t offer simple answers to complex problems.
But who says that is necessary? Who says Trump’s success lies in the answers he gives? Who says it doesn’t lie in him making room for the questions voters care about? And who says you can’t do the same?