“Donald Trump is not a legitimate candidate.”

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that, I’d be almost as rich as I already am. The other one I hear a lot, which is always dripping in condescension, is, “Who’s supporting Donald Trump? I’m not, and none of my friends are.”

Trump supporters have long been shamed into thinking they’re gullible idiots. It seems like the only people who get treated worse by the media these days are Christians.

In this Sept. 25, 2015, file photo, Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump, speaks during the Values Voter Summit, held by the Family Research Council Action in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Sure, sure. Polls are bunk, they say. The only people participating in these polls are old folks who can still get out of their La-Z-Boy to answer their landline phones, as long as the call isn’t during Hannity. Then, they’ll let it go to the answering machine.

Well, this week, a new AP-GfK poll on electability confirmed that 70 percent of Republican voters now think that Trump can win the nomination. This highlights a huge contrast between the people and many of the career pundits, who have long maintained that Trump is unelectable.

This is just the beginning of a fundamental change: it’s no longer socially unacceptable (as it has been in many establishment and elitist circles) to admit to being a Donald Trump supporter.

It’s safe for Trump supporters to come out now.

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn is proof of this. Ann Coulter is another great example. She was early on the Trump bandwagon, probably just happy that he was talking about immigration and helping her sell books. In the face of questions over his sincerity and viability, she could relish the part of troll, while also making the valid point that Trump was changing the conversation. Now, she’s 100 percent Trump.

So am I, and here are a dozen or so reasons why:

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