While nearly half have changed their minds about backing the Republican presidential nominee , many say they will still vote for the ‘orange buffoon’

Do the outrageous things Donald Trump says – from insinuating Hillary Clinton should be assassinated for her support of gun control to calling on Russia to hack Clinton’s emails – change the minds of people who had planned to vote for him? Yes, actually – at least some of them.

In the middle of primary season in February, the Guardian called for secret Trump voters to contact us and tell us why they were voting for Trump on the sly. More than 100 reached out – from yoga teachers to immigration lawyers – and we published 12 of those answers. Now that the general election season has well and truly begun, we checked back in with the original anonymous 12 to see if they are still on board the Trump train. We got 10 responses – and four of them have already jumped off.

'Not even my wife knows': secret Donald Trump voters speak out Read more

“At first I was seduced by his showmanship and strong-man persona and charisma, and by his strong borders patriotism and willingness to speak about the problem with Islam, and considering banning all Muslims from coming into the USA,” said a 48-year-old scientist from California.

“But when he said the judge of Mexican heritage wouldn’t be fair in his lawsuit and women should be punished for having abortions, that really turned me off him,” added the scientist, who had been flipping between Bernie Sanders and Trump but will now vote for Clinton.

A retired biomedical engineer from Hawaii, aged 66, says he thought originally that the US needed someone like Trump to create total social upheaval in order to get rid of corruption and paid interests in politics.

“But now – fortunately? – Trump has demonstrated that he is much more than a narcissistic buffoon,” he said.

“Anyone who is willing to put the trigger for America’s nuclear weapons in the hands of someone like this is placing the future of human civilization at risk. I believe we must do anything to prevent Trump from ever reaching the Oval Office. Even if it means voting for Hillary Clinton,” added the retired biomedical engineer.

A yoga teacher and writer from Tennessee, aged 29, said the bullying antics of Trump didn’t bother him – but that he had stopped supporting him anyway.

“What does bother me is Trump’s authoritarian tendencies. I believe it would be safe to assume he will grow the American police and surveillance states, which are already spiraling out of control. HRC isn’t any better though. While Trump seems intent on banning Muslims, HRC’s record on foreign policy (and support from war-hawks) reflect she is more likely to bomb them with drones,” he wrote.

“Truly, I believe America is getting the candidates it deserves. We will not get out of this mess until people wake up and realize they have more than two choices,” said the yoga instructor, noting he’d be voting for Gary Johnson or Jill Stein.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Donald Trump. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP

Another voter, a white male early retiree who lives in the Sonora desert, said he no longer backs Trump as he “seems to be insane. I no longer believe it is possible that he could truly represent the people who support him and need what he promised.”

Instead, he’ll reluctantly vote for Clinton. “For me, more Obama is OK, and that is a vote for Clinton. I will rely on the checks and balances of the US constitution to take care of the rest,” he said.

But other secret Trump supporters were still backing their initially reticent decision, noting that the news media’s coverage of Trump is unfair.

“The media is like an extension of the DNC at this point. They’ll intentionally misinterpret or exaggerate anything Trump says to try to help Hillary win the election,” said a 50-year-old college professor from California.

“Everyone wants so desperately to believe he’s Hitler 2.0, and their warped image of him is clearly looming large at the forefront of their minds – so much so that they can’t help but attach the worst possible connotation to even vague, offhand quips like these,” said a 29-year-old Hispanic attorney from Florida, referring to his second amendment comments.

An Indian American attorney, who describes his wealth as being in the top 1%, says he doesn’t care about the to-and-fros between Trump and Clinton or even Trump and his own party. “All of the controversies to me are inconsequential. The economy is terrible, the job situation has not materially improved, and illegal immigration and national security will get even worse moving forward. Regardless of what Trump may say and how he gets characterized, his focus is on the right things,” he wrote.

Regardless of what Trump may say and how he gets characterized, his focus is on the right things Trump supporter

But even some who back him don’t agree with all his antics. “I do still plan to vote for the orange buffoon. He is a ridiculous egomaniac who has found the recipe for stirring up support among discontented voters,” said a manager from South Carolina.

“My only regret is that I won’t be able to say that I cast a vote for the first woman to ever hold the presidency, but I have little doubt she will win. By the way, my 20-year-old self would be appalled by the complete political cynicism of my 52-year-old self,” he added.

A 20-year-old Arab student from Missouri says he backs Trump because he’s flipped US politics. “If he doesn’t win, his ego and legacy will still dominate American politics. He has basically set the tone for the coming century in which an isolated authoritarian state could be a very real prospect for our country,” he said.

Did Trump threaten to assassinate Clinton?

The Guardian also reached out to the 100 secret Trump supporters to get their take on Trump’s comments this week that gun owners could exercise their second amendment right in protest of Clinton, a line seen by many as a threat of assassination. Here’s a selection of their responses:



A 56-year-old male casino supervisor from Oklahoma:

I think and do believe he was talking about taking it to court with the backing of all American gun owners.

A 46-year-old male real estate agent from Colorado:

He’s not serious by any means, and you’d be considered mentally ill to act on that delivery – he was trying to be distasteful/politically incorrect as usual, which is why I will vote for the man. PC has ventured into thought policing on things, and along with the ultra surveillance state we have moved towards, I don’t want to be answering questions by the Gestapo after I text a tacky joke to someone.

A 26-year-old Chinese citizen working in the US on an H1-B visa:

Trump was dumb to say that, but I don’t judge him based on those words. Politicians are trained to not to take things personally, so Hillary shouldn’t care less. Objectively speaking, if Hillary made the decision to be a politician, then dirty attacks are fair game.

A 58-year-old retired ornithologist from Tennessee:

Hillary is too far left on this issue, the most radical position on gun control of any presidential candidate ever. She’s inflamed half of America.

A 55-year-old pilot:

I am getting tired of Trump’s running of the mouth. It almost feels like he is trying to lose this election. To me this should be the easiest election to win against this corrupt woman, however Trump is not staying on message and it looks very childish the way he is behaving. I’m now convinced he will lose unless he turns it around now.

A small-business owner from Orlando, Florida: