It’s not just Trump supporters who understand Trump’s appeal.

In a recent interview, Bernie Sanders explained why he believes people are preparing to vote for Donald Trump. I think he’s spot on with that.

America currently has rising costs of living, exorbitant college tuition, relatively stagnant wages, lack of health care, etc. Insert your grievances here. All of this fuels frustration and contempt for the status quo. This is not news, but Trump’s nihilistic platform of fundamentally changing (if not destroying) these institutions could at least temporarily alleviate the anxiety caused by such problems. can. Sanders sums it up this way: “Why wouldn’t you?” Why wouldn’t you vote for Trump? Perhaps he will destroy all these institutions that are causing me stress and pain.

I am a member of Generation Z, a generation that has just graduated from college and entered the workforce. Although many of my generation lean politically to the left, many of Trump’s supporters’ complaints about the quality of life for Americans are also shared by me and my colleagues. Many of us have a lot of debt from college. The job market is okay right now, but it’s incredibly competitive. And buying a house in my hometown of Yarmouth is a no-brainer. All of these challenges are manageable, and while they may seem trivial to the onlooker, they often run deeper than just youthful grumbling.

The emotional haven provided by Mr. Trump, especially when contrasted with President Biden, creates a “why not” attitude and generates more potential votes. The Biden administration is doing well, but all of that success, whether you feel like it’s a success or not, has to be pushed aside if you want to examine the emotional grievances that are spreading across partisan lines and across the American public. Put it away. For many undecided voters, Biden is seen as the institutional candidate, almost regardless of his party affiliation. He is a politician at heart. Trump isn’t like that. If he is, we can at least agree that he is atypical.

Biden’s reputation gives him little guarantee that he will change the American system that causes stress and pain to so many Americans, leading people to say “why not?” and vote for Trump. The problem, I think, is that while the Trump campaign has made promises to alleviate these fears, they are only amplifying those fears.

When you consider the emotional frustration, the “why not” attitude, and Trump’s popularity, it’s more than just a pseudo-intellectual exercise. Trump has repeatedly told his supporters, “I’m paying you back.” This is a clear signal that he is a vessel for the disdain Americans have for the status quo. This is a symbol of the cult of personality. Trump provides a safe haven for the discontent of the American people, and he has become a symbol of American social unrest.

In a 1967 speech known as “Beyond Vietnam,” Martin Luther King Jr. said, “If the soul of America is completely poisoned, part of the autopsy will not have the word ‘Vietnam’ written on it.” No,” he said. And it irritated America.

Understanding why people lean toward Trump is like understanding what unites us as Americans. Acknowledging that feelings of contempt or care for our country naturally extend across party lines may be a step in the right direction.