What do Trumpsters appear to have in common?  How does Trump capture their loyalty?  Those questions have perplexed political scientists since he was elected.

One of the ignored possibilities is presented by Trump himself.  He constantly sees himself as a victim.  

His supporters see themselves ignored by society and government.  They are not black.  They are not Hispanic.  They are not Muslim or any minority.  Where is their special program.  Where is their government handout?   Where is their tax loop hole? Why aren’t they treated as victims?  Why are they looked down upon and made fun of by the educated and the wealthy?

When Clinton called them “the deplorables”, Trump heard their feelings of victimization.

When Obama said “…they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who are not like them….”.  Trump heard their feelings of victimization.

Trump understood this through his perception of himself as always a victim.  Whatever it was; it was not his fault.  The other party whether his father, his family, his ex-wives, his business partners, the media, the contractors he stiffed, or the businesses he bankrupted; none of it was his fault.  Failure to lead this country in the fight against the ravaging effects of Covid -19 for six months was and is not his fault. In his mind he is always the victim. He continuousll tells us that in his interviews, in his his rallies, in his run for the Presidency. He even portrays himself as a future victim when he is not elected President in 2020!

The Trump followers identify.  They too are perpetual victims.  Victims who never get a break from government, were never on welfare, never used food stamps, never never received help with their rent.  Victims who never get special programs.  Here at last was a President who understood and would “put it to the elites”.  They had their “Victim-in-Chief”.