If you can't understand the motivation of your opponents, you can never craft arguments that would be persuasive to them.
I am not ready to write them all off. I live among them and count many as friends. Their politics are not black and white. They are motivated by the perceived disparity between those that make the rules and seem to be enriched thereby and those that try to follow the rules and seem not to get ahead.
Most want to be just left alone to make their own way. They perceive most those in power as corrupt, and the further away they are from their level, the more corrupt they are.
Minorities have experienced, and still experience, the playing field being tilted against them. With the disgustingly large disparity in wealth in this country, poor whites are now experiencing the same thing, or at least that is how they perceive it.
Here is a quick breakdown of what the typical Trump voter believes (and for those that don't like this message or are confused by rhetoric and think they need to report this post, I am not advocating any of these positions; I am just reporting what I think Trump backers believe 
:
Foreign wars? Helps the rich who own stock in military companies. The average American fights those wars and their taxes go to pay it. Illegal Immigration? Free trade? Both taking jobs from middle america. Again, helps the rich by suppressing wages. Deficit spending? Poor and middle class pay in the resulting inflation. The rich get richer because inflation increses hard asset value. Covid rules? Attack on freedom. The elites lied about the how bad it was and the prescription of staying inside cratered the economy and didn't do any good. Rich got richer with massive subsidies aimed primarily at businesses.
It is a crooked game run by a bunch of con artists. Democrats are the worst, but RINO's are right behind them. Everyone is getting rich off the government teat at the expense of average hard working Americans. Trump, for all his flaws, is better than that lot. Can't be worse.
What I do believe is that we don't do a very good job of addressing these issues rhetorically. Calling Trump supporters names like you are on a middle school playground does not help either.
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