I don’t know the answer. But I don’t think it’s accurate that they don’t give a shit. They care very much, just not about the main points the Dems are running on.
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I agree with this, as someone who lives in a blue city in red state and is from a deeply red state. Both sides of my extended family are Trump voters, and most cite the economy as the reason, not really anything else (a few are staunchly pro life and will always vote republican no matter what). Most people I know here in AZ over 50 voted or him for the same reason (whether or not it makes sense). They strongly felt like Trumps economy will be better, and somehow combat the inflation we’ve seen the last 4 years 
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This exactly.
I’ve had conversations with several of my elderly neighbors and they will say things like “I very much care about women’s rights, and XYZ thing that Kamala is running for. But right now I’m more worried about my retirement funds keeping me in a good place as I age, and I have to vote for my financial well being, etc.”
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I’ve been reading various NYT articles to understand why people voted for Trump and I’ll attach a couple here that helped me to understand a little bit (paywalls removed, all quotes from the first article):
a vote for Mr. Trump meant a vote to evict a failed leadership class from power and recreate the nation’s institutions under a new set of standards that would better serve American citizens.
If the disruption that Mr. Trump represents seems unusually drastic, that’s a sign that American politics has been insufficiently competitive for too long. Before Mr. Trump came along, power was in the hands of a political cartel, which, like the market cartels that Adam Smith had warned about, involved institutions that should have been in robust competition but were instead cooperating to exclude rival “products” or ideas. The cartel’s overpriced, shoddy goods failed to satisfy the public’s demands.
What are the areas where he promise change, where a lot of Americans want change but previous administrations of both parties have been unwilling or unable to change?
I see:
- China. He imposed tariffs. Many people support them, Biden didn’t roll them back. Many people think we’ve let China walk all over us for too long. Trump was the first one to say “We’re not going to do this anymore.”
- The inability to fire federal workers, even if they’re not doing a good job. Trump’s the first one to say “We’re not going to do this anymore.”
- Financing wars and various programs all over the world when we’ve got problems at home. Again, Trump’s the first one to say “We’re not going to do this anymore.”
- Immigration. People are angry about people being here illegally, that they are paying to educate, provide food stamps for, etc.
- While ACA is very popular, a lot of working people are angry at people who can afford not to work but keep their income low to qualify for Medicaid, ACA subsidies, etc. I anticipate I will lose my ACA subsidy in the next four years.
- Inflation. Even while the Dems touted that inflation was down, people were still dealing with higher prices and wages that hadn’t kept up.
This article is another good one:
I believe there are a lot of people who support Trump’s economic ideas and don’t believe they have the wealth or privilege to choose differently, and are putting up with the rest of the stuff he comes with.
There are of course other people who believe a lot of the other stuff he comes with.
I think time will tell if his policies improve things, or chaos just reigns supreme.
The rise of Mr. Trump has brought an end to the stagnation that characterized the Barack Obama era, when a Democratic president pursued a vision only incrementally different — in everything from foreign policy to health care — from what experts in both parties had prescribed in the 1990s, while Republicans in Congress devoted themselves to mere obstruction until the G.O.P. could put another Bush or Mitt Romney in the White House to pursue their party’s variation on the same agenda.
Mr. Trump’s enemies are as certain as his supporters are that he could be a force for radical change. Yet both the pro- and anti-Trump camps are prone to exaggerate what this once and future president wishes to do and can accomplish.
If Mr. Trump and his coalition fail to create something better than what they have replaced, they will suffer the same fate they’ve inflicted on the fallen Bush, Clinton and Cheney dynasties. A new force for creative destruction will emerge, possibly on the American left.
I think we need to work to understand the reason why people voted the way they did, and not demonize or otherwise write off people who voted for Trump. Dialogue, listening, approaching these questions with curiosity rather than defensiveness. Seek the common ground, that’s the only way we are going to unify.
I fear it may be too late for that, but it’s the only way forward I see at this point.
Sorry for the super long post.
Summary
Just in case anyone is wondering, I voted for Harris.
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dude. we have been listening to them for YEARS. they don’t like the social changes that have expanded power to more people. they especially do not like women or brown people having power. that is truly the crux of it. it’s never been about anything different from that.
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This is so true. My 3rd grader has been learning about elections and is very concerned about the outcome. I’ve been trying really hard to lean into “calling someone stupid and getting mad at them very rarely changes their mind in a good way”.
@madgeylou is right that we know, overall, what’s going on. But not being assholes and figuring out how to change people’s minds is so important and difficult.
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being nice to them as they burn down society also doesn’t seem to work.
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I think that’s true for some people.
I think it’s the economy for a lot of others as well as the haters.
I’ve heard this from a lot of people. Biden’s insistence the economy was getting better while people were and still are struggling to pay their bills did not help the Democratic agenda.
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anyone with any money in the stock market has no reason to complain about the economy.
also trump’s plans decimate social security in 6 years.
these people are not behaving rationally. they are behaving tribally.
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I hope those folks concerned about their retirement enjoy having their SS and Medicare taken away from them!
Why can they not see they are voting against their own interests?
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because their true interest is making sure brown people don’t get anything good, even if it means they also don’t.
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I’m not happy Trump won. I spent last summer road tripping and I’m not sure it will be physically safe to do that this summer.
I’d also be nervous if Harris won. I’m not sure she’s up to the job.
I think the most competent candidate this time around was Nikki Haley.
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clearly no one cares about competence.
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Yeah, Elon Musk saying that it’s going to be terrible for a few years after he cuts $2T from the budget, but it’ll all work out in the end isn’t incredibly convincing.
On the other hand, ever year I lean more toward the belief that burning it all down is the only way to make it better
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Off all the things I’m worried about, this is pretty far down the list. Those are pretty popular programs, as is ACA at this point. Elected officials who vote for this are likely to face a tough re-election battle. Even Trump was walking back Mike Johnson’s promises to repeal ACA.
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well things are going to burn, we know that much. it remains to be seen if something better comes out of it.
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Really I feel like the question is can we make it better without burning anything down? I’m not completely sure we can.
ETA - and I’m a relatively rich middle-aged white lady who’s not having any more kids and lives in a blue state. I can’t imagine what anyone who is at risk feels like.
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My coworker who voted for Trump twice and I was certain would again voted for Harris as did her sister and I’m absolutely shocked.
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at this point, we definitely can’t. the clock is run out on addressing climate change in any way that preserves societal continuity.
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I’d agree this is part of it, but white men (particularly straight white men, since LGBQT+ are also on the list of ‘oh, no, not them’) don’t make up 50% of the US population even if every single one of them was going to vote the same way. I’m guessing it’s mid to high 30s. They may be (almost certainly are, given the way the electoral college breaks down) be overrepresented, but there are still clearly other people voting for Trump for…reasons.
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