Citation:
Sinclair, B., Smith, S., & Tucker, P. 2017. “The Fragile Trump Coalition.” The Principles and Practice of American Politics, 7th ed.
In this essay, political scientists Betsy Sinclair, Steven S. Smith and Patrick D. Tucker report on the development of the Trump coalition over the primary and general election campaign season of 2016 and into the first year of his presidency. They find evidence that class, populism, and ethnocentricism played a role in support for Trump during the primary season. They also find that during his first year in office Trump’s performance was disapproved primarily by people who supported the establishment Republican candidates during the primary season. Fractures in the policy views of Republicans and varying attitudes about Trump’s personal qualities pose challenges to Trump and his party.