Trump’s Base––Interview with David Norman Smith (Part 1) -- Ep. 36

The co-hosts interview David Norman Smith, a sociologist at the University of Kansas, about his research into the characteristics of Trump supporters and why they support Trump. Smith discusses questions about authoritarian attitudes that he contributed to a major voter survey, links between prejudice and desire for authoritarian leadership, and how Trump supporters’ attitudes compare to those of other voters. He and the co-costs also explore different views of economic policy within Trump’s base and whether support for Trump is due to “economic anxiety.” Much of the discussion deals with the “74.2 Million Question”––why is support for Trump so unshakeable?––and what to do in light of that. Smith criticizes as utopian the presumption that mass support for Trump is rooted in ignorance and can thus be countered by fact-based appeals. Owing to the length and wide-ranging nature of the interview, we have split it into two parts. Part 2 will air in the near future. The episode’s current-events segment is about how racial and social inequality are distorting access to COVID-19 vaccinations, nationally and internationally, and how this hinders the fight against the virus. * ~ * ~ * ~ * Radio Free Humanity is a podcast covering news, politics and philosophy from a Marxist-Humanist perspective. It is co-hosted by Brendan Cooney and Andrew Kliman. We intend to release new episodes every two weeks. Radio Free Humanity is sponsored by Marxist-Humanist Initiative (MHI), but the views expressed by the co-hosts and guests of Radio Free Humanity are their own. They do not necessarily reflect the views and positions of MHI. We welcome and encourage listeners’ comments, posted on this episode’s page of the MHI website. Please visit MHI’s website for information on philosophy & organization, Marxist-Humanist archives, and its online publication, “With Sober Senses”: https://www.marxisthumanistinitiative.org/