Why Donald Trump is Like a Gun: He’s Dangerous? That’s the Point
The politics of Trump mirror gun politics: The three ways to see Trump and danger — it’s a fear to one side and an appeal to the other
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Democrats repeat: “Donald Trump is dangerous,” and Trump backers answer, “Exactly — He’s our gun to protect us from you.”
To understand the latest round of Trump coverage, it helps to compare the Trump debate to the debate over guns: A record number of U.S. voters support new gun restrictions, as a record 1 million new firearms are sold monthly.
A backlash reaction to the FBI raid on Trump’s home helped him shatter 24-hour fundraising records as The Washington Post reported he may have illegally kept “nuclear secrets.” A new poll shows that 83 percent of GOP voters said the raid motivated them to vote against Democrats.
Another new poll shows 89 percent of Americans agree the House January 6 Committee hearings didn’t change their mind about “what happened at the Capitol that day or who is responsible.”
The three approaches to Trump mirror the gun-control debate:
1. Pro-Trump tends to be pro-gun
If you love guns, you tend to love Trump. Historically, Republican candidates court gun voters by showing their hunting attire, but you never see Trump dressed as a hunter. Because Trump isn’t a hunter, Trump is the gun.
Gun owners are the first to acknowledge that guns are deadly and dangerous (most advocate safety courses). They tend to love their guns for the same reason they love Trump: They see both as protection from enemies, invaders, and threats to themselves and their way of life.
2. Anti-Trump tends to want gun restrictions
Anti-Trump advocates tend to be the same people who advocate restrictions on weapons. The irony: when gun limits are debated, gun sales tend to rise, and when Trump is pursued most aggressively, he tends to energize his base — often bringing soft supporters back to back him.
From the first investigations to two impeachment proceedings to the January 6 hearings to the latest…
