Friday, February 26, 2016

This American Life: Anatomy of the Atypical Trump Supporter

by Nomad


This American Life has another fascinating podcast related to this year's election. Not about the candidates but about one person who is an electrified supporter of Donald Trump.
Sex, Boyhood and Politics in South Carolina- Act One of the two-part podcast- deals with a young Trump fanatic named Alex Chalgren, the South Carolina director for Students for Trump.

One of the producers of the podcast, Zoe Chace says Alex was "one of those kids that adults adore." Why not? He immediately comes across as a bright, articulate, and exudes a positive self-assured quality.
And he is African American.
Perhaps not the usual demographic one automatically thinks of when they imagine a Trump supporter.

Added to that, Alex is openly gay in a state that isn't exactly as open-minded as New York or tolerant as Miami or Los Angeles. In fact, Alex's main reason for supporting Trump is his stand on same-sex marriage. (Not a position Trump particularly promotes on the campaign trail.)
Chace points out that Alex "fits into no known category of voter. All the ways that reporters and political consultants slice up populations, they don't apply to him."

Sniffing out a good story, Chace decided to get to bottom of this and her interview and character study is full of surprises. In understanding Alex, she might have learned something about Trump's general attraction. 
And that's something we should all pay closer attention to.

To listen to the podcast, click here,  and a transcript of the podcast can be found here