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Interview with an Asian-American Trump Supporter

Interview with an Asian-American Trump Supporter

During the presidential primaries, I recall seeing a meme that said, “Everyone I know is voting for Bernie, but somehow Hillary keeps winning.”

And it made me think, Do I have a skewed view of what is normal, true, or common based on who I’m around? Who is “everyone”? Is “everyone” just “everyone I know”? Because those are two different things.

Donald Trump won the presidential election because — guess what — basically half the country wanted him to. (That’s a wake-up call that America ain’t all that “woke.”) So last night, I sat down with a newer friend of mine, Lizz, and asked her to do me the pleasure of engaging me in a conversation about why she — a young, Asian-American woman — voted for Donald Trump.

How do you typically align yourself politically?

I would say I am a liberal Republican.

Is that how you’ve always identified?

Yeah. I had super-liberal parents, and most of my family is pretty liberal. Like, back in 2008, that was the first time I could vote. I voted for John McCain, and I was basically alone in that. But I was also raised with conventional values — traditional, Christian values.

I ultimately decided as I grew up that I wanted to line up my political views with my religious views. I felt like liberal parties veer away from Christian values.

In the primaries, who was your first-choice candidate?

Who was in the primaries? [I rattled off the list — Rubio, Carson, Cruz …] Oh, yeah. I didn’t vote. My first choice would have been Paul Ryan. He didn’t run so I didn’t vote. Paul Ryan is more of liberal Republican. He has strong family values, his faith is a part of his views, but I don’t feel like he’s as pushy as Donald Trump.

Trump seems to mainly want to control people and enforce his personal views on a power trip.

Were you sure of your vote during this election?

I was undecided until the day before. I looked up the options for valid write-ins, and I didn’t like any of them so I decided to just going with my party.

Why did you feel Trump was the best choice?

I just feel like — I mean he’s rude, sexist, racist, or at least came off that way in his campaign. But I think he did a lot of that to stir the pot. Even if he feels that way for real, I’d rather at least have someone be honest about their views.

We probably only get about 60 percent of the truth at best from politicians. I feel like he’s giving us closer to that 60 percent. Hillary Clinton seems like she wants to present a picture-perfect American front. But you can just tell she’ll do whatever benefits her.

Did you see any value in her campaign at all?

No. Not really.

So, what about Donald Trump’s campaign or issues he brought up did you feel lined up with your views?

There was nothing largely standout. I was drawn to his honesty. And the crazier stuff he wants to do? I don’t feel like he can do it.

He can’t really change gay marriage. I think men and women will stay equal. I mean, there are parts of this that do tug at my heart. I don’t like that people are fearing for their lives — muslims, minorities, gay people feeling they aren’t safe anymore.

I think the threat is really those radical people. Just like people fear radical Islam, there are radical people in America who are violent. But I think they would feel that way anyway.

I do think we need to vet who we let into the country better. I’d be nuts to say all Muslims are a threat.

Trump kind of said that, though, by saying he’d ban them all coming in.

Well there are radical Muslims and that’s where the focus should be. You have people who fear Black Lives Matter, but that’s just ignorant. BLM isn’t trying to kill anyone; they are trying to create awareness. Saying, “Hey, this isn’t okay.”

But ISIS is something to actually worry about. Our focus is all wrong.

You don’t think this election and Donald Trump’s passive condoning of his radical fans’ behavior has ANYTHING to do with that fear?

No.

Have you seen people at his rallies yelling ‘fuck the f*gs’ and ‘hang the n*ggers’?

No.

Well it did happen. Lots and he never said, “Hey, that’s not what we’re doing.” And what he did say was a lot of things that people who hold racist and religious biases wanted to get behind. ‘All black people live terrible lives. Stop and frisk is fine. The gay marriage ruling needs to be overturned.’

People felt that way, anyway.

So, you don’t think people feel more comfortable coming out of the shadows with hateful views now — when they feel the leader of the free world is just like them?

People would do it anyway, eventually. Would you rather know a person is racist or have them be that way and keep smiling in your face?

Um, I don’t want them to kill me or harass me. So, while I’d rather they didn’t feel that way … they can feel however they want, but they can’t take those feelings and harm me without consequence. What about all the people who stand to lose rights if Trump has his way?

I didn’t agree with the Supreme Court taking away the states’ right to vote on gay marriage. If it got overturned, I wouldn’t be brokenhearted.

You think it would be cool to invalidate a marriage or make only one of an adopted child’s parents able to stay the parent?

Most Americans didn’t agree with gay marriage, but they didn’t get to choose.

Um, where did you get that from? It’s the opposite everywhere I’ve looked. Why do you think gay marriage even needs to be up to the state? Shouldn’t it just be a constitutional right?

I think it goes back to the basic principles that the country was built on. I don’t think we should control people’s basic rights to happiness. The church is founded on principles that don’t align with that. So why should I care?

Would it be okay for someone to feel that way about you? For them to say well, it’s not a part of my religion so I don’t care if it hurts you?

Well no. But people benefit from Christian morals and then don’t want to follow the rest. And people typically get married in church.

Christianity happens to be a religion of some founders. But ‘don’t lie, kill, steal’ etc., pretty much everyone believes that. That’s religion and basic human decency — not just Christian. Satanists believe in the same morals. And while you might have a marriage in a church, the church doesn’t marry you. The state does. You can have married outside or in a museum. [Think about] the old racial miscegenation laws — you couldn’t marry any of the white boys you’ve dated. And that’s how this country was founded. On some good thing but a lot of crap too.

Well I can see that. I don’t want laws infringing on my choices.

But you did vote for someone who raved about how he would do just that …

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