How to explain Donald Trump’s ascendancy? If you follow the standard election analysis, his victory was largely spurred by the financial pain and fears of poor and rural Americans. But if you look closer, Trump voters are more financially secure than a lot of us thought.

As a recent immigrant to the US, I’ve been fascinated by Trump’s incredible rise. But it’s the motivations of well-off Trump backers which fascinate me the most. I’d heard much about the working class or dwindling middle class credited with bringing the real estate mogul victory. But what about those who described themselves as affluent?

I started to look for voters who would fit this bill, and hope to follow them throughout the next four years to chart whether their support will wane or strengthen over time.

Of those I interviewed, many feared backlash if they talked openly. All said admitting backing Trump marked you as racist, sexist and possibly stupid. Some, such as a Los Angeles private jet entrepreneur and a Miami hotelier, agreed to interviews and then reneged, wary of hurting their livelihoods. But those who participated justified their ballot choice passionately and defiantly.

Here are some of their views, in their own words.

‘I expect him to build that wall’

Cathy O’Dell Town, notary, Orange County, California

Cathy O’Dell Town at home with her pet cat. Photograph: Jo Jarvis

The level of hatred out there is unprecedented. She [Hillary Clinton] called us terrible names. She attacked Trump’s supporters. But we took it as a badge of honor. We became that basket of deplorables. I said: “I’m deplorable and proud of it.” When he won, I tweeted to my followers, “thank you for being brave”. It took courage to vote for him.

I have the right as an American citizen to support whomever I want – I can support Satan if I want. The thing is, I respect you for your opinion but you must respect me for mine. People said to me, “What’s the matter with you? You’re a racist, you’re a hater, how can you support him?” Then they start getting emotional and shouting and going in directions that make no sense. And I just say, “I can support whomever I please. I’m an American.”

Trump has been saying things that I’ve been yelling about since 2000, the main one being illegal immigration. I resent illegals. We are negatively impacted by them taking our tax dollars. We are impacted by the two cultures – Mexican and Asian – and they don’t assimilate. Once Trump opened his mouth, it was like a trumpet sounding. A call to arms. It was like a banner. He woke people up.

I thought Obama was sincerely going to make a change – I voted for him in 2008. I was extremely disappointed that when he was first elected, he didn’t address illegal immigration. With Donald Trump, I’m sure that there could be a little more polish, I’m sure that he could have pulled back a little bit. But I’m not expecting him to be perfect. I’m expecting him to roll up his sleeves and go to work for us.

I expect him to build that wall. I expect him to start the process of getting the legislation in place to stop birther rights [the rights of children born in the US to an undocumented immigrant receiving automatic citizenship]. I don’t want people to come over here and drop out of their mother and they’re automatically a citizen.

I will measure Trump by this question: did he get those illegals out? Particularly the criminals. Did he get the birther rights revoked? Did he inspire businesses to quit crossing the ocean and going somewhere else? Did he get the trade agreements in places we are respected? That’s what I will be measuring him by.

‘Trump has a vision’

Mike Miele, executive, Princeton and Monmouth Beach, New Jersey

Mike Miele at home with his wife, Bea. Photograph: Jo Jarvis

This is a crapshoot. We don’t know what will happen, but I’m prepared to take a shot. I want to bring this to a head. I’m not sure if he’ll take us in the right direction, but we can’t lose with Trump because at least he will force the issue. If he takes us down the wrong path, at least we’ll have to deal with it.

I don’t know whether he’s the nicest man in the world or the meanest SOB in the world. I don’t think that has a single thing to do with his attributes as president. I mean, who is nicer than President Obama? He’s the greatest guy ever, I’d like to meet him one day. Does that make him a great leader? Does that make him able to run the country? I don’t think so.

I voted for Trump not against Hillary. I thought she had management competence, but he had a vision. My key hope is that there will once again be a high degree of business startup, that he will create confidence. He already is – look how the stock market has responded. I own office buildings, I’m a rich guy, but I need newly formed businesses for my buildings in New Jersey.

Ninety percent of the men I know who voted for Trump are too ashamed to admit it. But I’m not. My friends usually stay out of politics but when we do get into it the subject is “Who did you vote for?” I could just tell that they did not want to come out and say that they voted for Trump. They gave some long-winded answer, and I said: “It’s OK, if you voted for Trump, it’s not something you should be ashamed of.” And they’d say: “We’re sort of keeping it on the down low.” So, that’s my Republican friends who voted for Trump.

The ones who voted for Hillary attacked me for my decision. I don’t understand where that is coming from. They say: “How could you be so stupid, how could you vote for a racist?” There were just incredible, heated arguments. That’s not healthy for any of us to take such a hardline view of what other people think. I always thought the Democratic party was more open-minded about other people’s thinking. I find it ironic that they’re so judgmental.



‘I want to see him taking it back to basics’

Ileana Garcia, communications specialist, founder of Latinas for Trump, Miami, Florida

Ileana Garcia in Miami. Photograph: Jo Jarvis

Right now in America we need strength, we need discipline, accountability, a prosperous economy – and that’s what Trump represents. That’s why he got a whole movement behind him.

I want to see him taking it back to basics: less government in all your decisions, less social programs. I know people who need social programs who can’t get them, and others who don’t need it, who take advantage of it. I don’t think people should be able to walk into this country without ever giving anything to it and having any type of benefits. You need to work your way into it.



It’s challenging to “come out” as a Trump supporter. People were scared. That’s why I founded Latinas for Trump. It was the first time in my life that I had been concerned. We had a “Coming Out Trump” party here in Miami for people who were scared to say they supported him. I mean, you were fired, you were ostracized, I received death threats, it was crazy – and this is a country with the first amendment. We all have rights, even if you are undocumented you have rights, so how does that work? The Democrats did a better job of closeting Trump supporters than the LGBT community ever did of getting people out of the closet.

‘I’m afraid of the “tolerant” left’

Kasey, businesswoman and Karen, attorney. Los Angeles, California. Asked not to use their real names

Kasey, right, with Karen, left, and their two daughters. Photograph: Jo Jarvis

Kasey: I’m so full of hope that the reward will be bigger for those who go out there and work hard and create, and that what we’re going to see is an unleashing of an incredible business explosion and jobs for people and not stagnation.

I’m a bit more critical of him on a personal level than I am of him on a policy or business perspective. Trump’s a pig, but he’s the first Republican that hasn’t given me heartburn. There’s no doubt he is kind of a pig. The question is, does it bother you enough to not vote for him? The answer is no because Bill Clinton, whom I voted for, is equally as much of a pig but in a nicer way. It makes no difference to me. I vote for a person based on their policies.

I’m attracted to Trump because he’s not a politician. Most of them have never done anything but be one. I would like you if you were a Democrat if you had actually started a business and if you’ve actually created a job. Donald Trump is extremely attractive to me because he’s been so successful, and the man has created a lot of jobs.

I’m not concerned about anyone knowing I voted for Donald Trump, except for the “tolerant” left. I’m afraid of the “tolerant” left. They are really the “intolerant” left. I am concerned that I’ve got customers who are part of this intolerant left, and because I have a company and I voted for Trump, I’m concerned that if they knew, they would not be my customers any more. I think it is very sad.

Karen: I think he’s capable because he weathered the most unbelievable intense storm of malarkey that I’ve ever seen anybody go through. To get something done and achieve some of the changes in the polarized society that we live in right now, you need someone who can take hits and not fold. Making the type of changes that need to happen in the US today is not going to be an easy task and what we know for certain is this is a person who can weather a storm.

If you are a leader who is a bit unpredictable and who has said to the world “I’m willing to be aggressive, how willing are you?” then at a very minimum the bad guy [the hostile nation] who’s going to steal your stuff will stop and think, perhaps there may be consequences for what I’m doing. The US is not currently instilling that thought in anyone’s mind. And I don’t mean, go ahead, march us into another wasteful war. I just want to see some strength.

My views are more about the security and financial stability of the US than about racism or wall building. The left look at folks in West Virginia as uneducated, ignorant people and say that’s everybody that voted for Trump. What you’re saying about those people is extremely pejorative and you can’t have a conversation in this country if you’re going to insult others.

‘We need to reverse course on extreme political correctness’

Mark Hoff, family medical doctor, Lodi, California

Mark Hoff in front of his church in Lodi. Photograph: Jo Jarvis

I’m a born-again Christian and we suffered through eight years of Obama, who was an elitist academic. He made people more afraid of conservative Christians than of Muslims. Obama paved the way for Trump.

I’m hoping for some amazing things from Trump. I hope we have a more vibrant society. Thousands of factories have closed. He will reverse it. He’s not just talking. He says he will revitalize the ghetto areas. Hillary was anti-conservative, anti-Christian. She is the embodiment of evil. The Democrat party is an anti-God organization.



As a born-again Christian, I’d like to see Trump reverse course on this extreme political correctness. It’s been an oppressive feeling that I have had, being afraid of stepping on somebody’s toes and being slammed by the media, by Hollywood. Those people are as oppressive as any sort of oppressive society you’d want to be in. I’m hoping that the values I hold will not feel as out of place if I talk about them, now that Donald Trump has influence.

I’m not expecting Donald Trump to be perfect. I’m not saying he’s a born-again person. I don’t even know whether he’ll become born again. But I think, with the tremendous responsibility he has, he’ll begin relying more on God in helping him be president and we’ll see an evolution in his approach to the people of this country, maybe becoming a little more traditional, the rough edges coming off a little bit. But what we want is somebody who is going to be honest with us. He tells you like it is and he is genuinely concerned about our country.

Just being a Christian doesn’t mean you’re perfect. So, for me to cast aspersions against Donald Trump for what he has done is not right. You should instead look to see if a person is changing, if he is evolving. While he was not necessarily young when he did some of these things, I think he’s a person that will evolve.

This election is the first one I’ve felt part of. I watched probably every one of his speeches. I wore a Donald Trump pin on my lapel at work. I’ve had two patients attack me, but most were fine.