Behind the ‘Trump Phenomenon’

]This year’s election is actually a game between white interest groups who want to maintain their influence and those progressive coalitions who want to eliminate racial discrimination caused by white interest groups.

This spring I returned home to meet with friends, and they asked, “How is it that Donald Trump is such a madman and is also so likely to be elected?” This question suggests that American democracy may be becoming problematic. How can the United States elect this kind of person? It is this sort of result that makes it easy for us Chinese people to misunderstand the American democratic system.

The democratic election is not guaranteed to choose the best leader; rather, it guarantees that voters have different candidates to choose from even if it’s between a “bad” and a “worse” option. Voters cannot choose the candidates, but they can choose from multiple candidates and utilize their political authority; this is democracy. While the difference between one and two candidates is qualitative, the difference between one and ten candidates is quantitative. Americans may elect Trump, but after a few years they can still choose to impeach him; this is why Americans have so much confidence in the democratic system.

From a sociological perspective, analyzing the “Trump Phenomenon” lets you see behind the racket of the Republican Party primaries. The core of Trump’s support is a prejudiced base of educated and skilled white Americans. They have seen that the American population is undergoing a change in composition: in 10 to 15 years, the minority population will surpass the white population. This will mean that the privileges that white citizens have enjoyed for such a long time and their domination over societal development will be fundamentally challenged. This is the inevitable outcome of the democratic system. The emergence of this change has two causes: minority birth rates, which are greater than white groups, and immigration rates, especially of illegal immigrants, which are for the most part ethnic groups. African-American President Barack Obama’s rise to power increases the white citizen’s fear of population structure change even more so. During a conversation with some local white residents, I often heard, “They are changing this country,” meaning that Barack Obama’s administration is changing this country. This fear is precisely the cause of Trump’s emergence. Trump gave a series of anti-immigrant, anti-international commerce, anti-“political correctness” and “America First” speeches that precisely pandered to these people’s mentality.

From this point of view, it can be seen that this year’s election is actually a game between white interest groups who want to maintain their influence and those progressive coalitions who want to eliminate racial discrimination caused by white Interest groups. In the short-term view, the election’s outcome is unpredictable. In the long-term view, the change of American population structure is irreversible. Finally, the Republican Party and white interest groups must accept reality and blend into America’s diverse society. This is also precisely why the American democratic system is so capable of a peaceful transition. Political long-term peace and stability is a treasured place.

The author is a sociologist, current chairman of a software company and an experienced science consultant.