The post-election discussions surrounding Donald Trump’s victory often avoid the most glaring cause: ignorance. Many people who desire more progressive policies end up voting for a candidate whose agenda is starkly opposite to their own desires.
Despite this, it’s clear that these voters aren’t uninformed in all areas; they understand the importance of issues like raising the minimum wage or protecting abortion rights. This shows that while their policy preferences align with progressive values, their votes for Trump suggest a deeper issue in how they perceive and process political information.
Trump’s spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, claimed that Trump’s victory gave him a “mandate,” despite his regressive policies being publicly available for anyone to read. These policies, part of “Project 2025,” promise to shrink wages, ban abortion nationwide, and reduce healthcare access, yet voters still supported both Trump and progressive policies in state initiatives.
In several conservative states, voters backed measures like raising the minimum wage and ensuring paid family leave, as well as protecting abortion rights, even if they also voted for Trump. This paradox highlights a disconnect between policy support and voting behavior.
Many progressives, including figures like Senator Bernie Sanders, attributed the election results to the failure of Democrats to connect with working-class voters. However, this view oversimplifies the situation.
Democrats, despite being hampered by Republican opposition, have pursued progressive policies like labor organizing and healthcare reform. If voters were choosing based on policy, they would likely back Democrats, who advocate for policies that Trump seeks to dismantle, including protections for labor and healthcare.
Voters Back Progressive Policies While Supporting Trump, Highlighting Ignorance and Misinformation Behind Election Outcomes
The real issue, however, isn’t the Democrats’ messaging or policies, but ignorance. Voters, as noted by Heather “Digby” Parton, are often more drawn to Trump’s “aesthetics and attitudes” rather than understanding the substance of his policies.
Polls have shown that when voters are unaware of which candidate supports certain policies, they tend to favor those aligned with progressive views. This suggests that the lack of knowledge about candidates’ policies is a significant factor in voting behavior.
A key part of this ignorance is the proliferation of misinformation, especially via social media. Studies show that many people, particularly those on the political right, are more likely to consume news from unreliable sources, such as conspiracy theories and memes, rather than fact-based journalism.
Pew Research highlighted that social media has become a major source of information, replacing traditional, trustworthy news outlets. This shift to a media diet dominated by falsehoods and sensationalism distorts people’s understanding of political issues, leading to poorly informed voting decisions.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that Trump and his allies openly exploit and capitalize on this ignorance. Trump himself has expressed admiration for the “poorly educated,” showing that he values his supporters’ gullibility.
The rise of misinformation has created an environment where voters are detached from reality, often preferring false narratives that align with their biases over factual information. While some voters are simply disconnected from the news, others may actively seek out lies that justify their own prejudices, making it difficult to counter the overwhelming influence of misinformation on their choices.
