The following interview was conducted with an anonymous interviewee. 

Q: Generally speaking, why do you support Donald Trump?

A: Generally, I believe in the idea that you don’t need to support a particular individual, but can support particular parties and/or agendas. In this case, I support a candidate who changed the way that we look at politics in this country. 

Q: Did you support Donald Trump in the 2016 election? 

A: I did support him then. I went to one of his rallies in Worcester which was the first time I’d gone to anything like that. So that was kind of a cool experience to see, and I did vote for him. At a high level, I do continue to look at him in the same way that I did back in 2016. I absolutely do not agree with his behavior or his ability, or actually, inability, to act presidentially. But, I allow myself to separate the individual from my political stance. 

Q: Can you tell me a little bit about the rally?

A: It was packed. It was high energy, this was all when he was coming out with his “Make America great again” slogan, so there was a lot of chanting, a lot of over the top applauding. There were also some people that were there opposed to him and they were escorted out, but that was the only kind of crazy thing that happened there. Otherwise, it was really high energy, it was inspirational in a way because he was getting people out to vote who had never really voted before, that don’t take that much of an interest in it. 

Q: How do Donald Trump’s policies benefit you and your family?

A: To me, it’s not always about a policy that will benefit my family directly versus the greater good as a whole, but more about how I was raised and what experiences I’ve had that have shaped my character. So one example I can share about that is that my mom and my dad are both retired police officers. My mom was the second woman to be hired as a police officer ever in Waltham. So I’ve always been very proud of my parents, and I think my biggest appreciation of Donald Trump is his support for law enforcement and the military. I don’t think there has ever been a president who has been as outspoken as he is about our cops needing more protection. If I look at tax plans and compare our candidates, I do tend to follow a more conservative approach in order to protect the economy.

Q: Do any of Joe Biden’s policies or his agenda hurt you and your family?

A: I think what concerns me most about Joe Biden is I think he’s going to send us into a recession. 

Q: As a woman, do you have any concerns about the way Donald Trump has been known to speak about and treat women?

A: I absolutely have issues with that way that he speaks about women. I also have issues with the way that he speaks about all types of people in this country, not just women, I find this to be one of the more challenging things for me to defend my stance in supporting him because I do think that a lot of the things that he says are just highly insulting and really degrading and unpresidential. But again, I’m separating my beliefs from the individual.

Q: How do you feel about his use of Twitter and the things that he puts on social media? 

A: I’m totally against that. I really do feel like that’s something he shouldn’t be doing, not in a presidential role. However, our world has changed so much that our world is driven by the media and social media. I think by him going through Twitter, he’s getting a different population of people as well.

Q: Do you think that the president should be a role model for children and young people in America?

A: Yes, I absolutely agree that the president should be a role model for everyone. I think it’s more important to recognize that most of our children’s role models come from the home and the community. And that’s really the most important role models that you can give to your children. I think they’re the ones who are going to have the greatest impact. Our world and our country are evolving, and I think that our politicians will adapt, and so will we, and I think that begins with being at home with our families and teaching and guiding our children through these complicated times.

Q: What do you think that makes Donald Trump a good role model? 

A: I think that that’s a really hard question to answer. I think that he is honest, and maybe that’s to a fault because he kind of says whatever is on his mind. I like that he supports and loves police unions and the military, so in that sense, I think that he could be a role model. But I also hope that he is not someone’s greatest role model in that sense. I would hope that their moms and their dads are their teachers or people in their community are the ones that help shape their character. 

Q: What do you dislike about Joe Biden?

A: I don’t necessarily dislike anything about him. We all have one vote, we can only vote one way. I do think that we downplay the amount of time that Biden has been in politics in this country, he’s been in politics for a long time. I also think that we downplay his ties and connections with other countries and his personal business. I know that all the stories and things that you hear, of course not all of them are true, but I think it’s important that we live in a country that’s driven by today and not the past. 

Q: Do you feel that Joe Biden is a good role model for young people?

A: I don’t believe that young people can relate to Joe Biden. I think young people want more than our traditional way of doing politics. Our future is primarily on the internet and social media. Again, I know I’ve already said this, but I do believe that role models should be your home and your community, I don’t think that role models should ever be politicians in the midst of campaigning, where they are basically tearing each other apart and breaking down their sets of values. I don’t think that this is the time to look to either Donald Trump or Joe Biden as a role model. 

Q: Where do you most regularly get your news about politics and our country? 

A: I get it from a variety of places. I watch a lot of local news. Also social media posts and I talk a lot with my friends and my family. I learn a lot from those people who I love and respect. 

Q: If you could ask a Biden supporter a question, anything, what would it be?

A: I would ask them, are they voting for Joe Biden as a vote against Donald Trump? I think that happened in 2016 at the last election. People so badly didn’t want Hillary Clinton to be the president, that they voted for Donald Trump. I just wonder if that’s why people are voting for Biden now. Because they just want Trump out, and they see him as a better candidate. 

Q: The media, as everyone knows, tends to bash Trump and focus on the negative aspects of his character and his administration, though every president has had positive and negative traits and policies. What do you think are Trump’s unsung qualities or policies?

A: Well I think he’s done a lot for our economy. I do think we have to look at his accomplishments before the pandemic. I think any president in that position, to try to move forward in a situation that we’ve never experienced before, it’s very challenging. But I do think that he’s holding a strong position and he’s confident in his beliefs. I’m not necessarily saying that I believe in everything he’s saying or doing, but I just respect him for that.

Q: What do you wish Americans who do not support President Trump understood about your views or about him?

A: I think the thing that I want people to know or that I want to come out of this is that I want all of the violence to stop. I’m very worried about the election to be honest. I think that if President Trump wins, there’s going to be riots. And I think if he doesn’t win, there’s going to be riots. I think that it’s a scary time right now. People are very passionate about the way that they feel and if you hate Donald Trump, you hate him. I don’t think there’s anybody that’s in the middle. And like I said, there’s so much that he says and does that I do not agree with, but my core values come from my family. And I believe that his values support my beliefs. My family should be protected. We need to honor people who put their lives on the line every day. We need to take care of our military and veterans and families. I do think at the core of it, he does care about that. He is passionate about it. There’s not one president that you would like or agree with every single thing they say and do. Of course, I do think he is an extremely controversial president, but I’ve never hidden the fact that I support him. I don’t disagree with others who support Biden. I think everybody has different political views and beliefs that come from their upbringing and who they’ve become as an adult and I think everybody has that right to chose who they want to support.

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