Moderates still don't understand why conservatives voted for Trump

It's not just 'wokeness' and social media. It's order, fairness, and basic governance.

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock)

What's wrong with conservatives?

The question has dominated prestige media since Donald Trump emerged as the frontrunner for the Republican nomination in 2016, and especially since his campaign of election denial culminated in violence on Jan. 6 last year. For decades, conservatives have appealed to personal virtue, the rule of law, and constitutional authority. Was it all just a sham to conceal a darker current of opposition to cultural change, racial equality, and democracy itself?

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Samuel Goldman

Samuel Goldman is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also an associate professor of political science at George Washington University, where he is executive director of the John L. Loeb, Jr. Institute for Religious Freedom and director of the Politics & Values Program. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard and was a postdoctoral fellow in Religion, Ethics, & Politics at Princeton University. His books include God's Country: Christian Zionism in America (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2018) and After Nationalism (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2021). In addition to academic research, Goldman's writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications.