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While trying to downplay the threat of white nationalism, Trump said that white nationalists are a small group of people that have very serious problems, which sums up the status of many Trump supporters.

Here is the exchange that Trump had with a reporter:



Q Do you see, today, white nationalism as a rising threat around the world?

THE PRESIDENT: I don’t really. I think it’s a small group of people that have very, very serious problems. I guess if you look at what happened in New Zealand, perhaps that’s the case. I don’t know enough about it yet. They’re just learning about the person and the people involved. But it’s certainly a terrible thing. Terrible thing.

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Video:

Trump's description of white nationalism sounds like a description of Trump supporters. https://t.co/GURmrvFsnF pic.twitter.com/YqgxGARkjw — PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) March 16, 2019

A Small Group Of People That Have Very Serious Problems

Trump’s downplaying of white nationalism, which is a serious problem in its own right, sounds a lot like the way some would describe the people who support Donald Trump, not all of the people who voted for Trump, but those members of the Trump cult who gobble up every lie that he speaks while chugging a healthy dose of Fox News each day.

The reason why Trump is constantly trying to create and maintain a state of fear is that studies have shown that conservatives are more sensitive to threats. Trump is manipulating his base to stick with them by keeping them afraid. The threat is why the wall fight is so important to Trump. The president doesn’t want the threat to go away because it is the threat that will motivate his voters to vote for him in 2020.

Trump’s supporters are the minority of the country. Both the popular vote results in 2016 and his approval ratings reflect this reality, but when Trump downplayed white nationalists, who by the way are some of his most vocal supporters, he also provided America with the perfect description of his most loyal supporters.

They are, “a small group of people that have very, very serious problems.”

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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