Undercover Trumpsters
By: William Spivey
Tags: Politics, Donald Trump, 2020 Presidential Race, Racism, Elections

Undercover Trumpsters

How Many of Your Friends and Neighbors Are Secret Members?

Photo by Sergio Nista on Unsplash

Seven million more people voted for Donald Trump in the year 2020 than in 2016, exceeding seventy million altogether. Many of them didn’t wear MAGA hats or have Trump signs in their yards. They didn’t go to the Trump rallies screaming about locking somebody up. They didn’t demonstrate their support on social media, and they studiously avoided political conversations. They smile in your face, but in the secrecy of the voting booth, they supported Trump.

The Urban Dictionary has a definition for Trumpsters:

A Trumpster is an avid supporter and follower of Donald Trump. He is their light in the darkness. They do not function like your average run of the mill Republican, as they only quote Fox News in their daily debacles with every other political party when it is convenient and in favor of the almighty Trump.

You have little trouble identifying your run of the mill Trumpster. They’re loud and unashamed to be loyal to The Donald. They are eager to discuss politics though they rarely have thoughts of their own. Trumpsters can quote verbatim what they heard on Fox News or while listening to Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity but can’t process what they’ve heard, reflecting on whether it’s partially right or outright wrong. Their truth barometer is turned completely off; therefore, they can accept any lie.

The undercover Trumpster knows the difference between right and wrong; they have a sense of what’s false or true. For reasons of their own, they don’t care. Undercover Trumpsters have the decency to be ashamed they support Trump. You’ll never hear them echoing the regular Trumpsters in the workplace. No Trump attire or signs. They might even vocalize their distaste for Trump’s tweets or some of his policies. Yet they voted for him just the same.

It’s reasonable to wonder how the undercover Trumpster can support a man they might have actual disdain for? There’s something in his manner or one of his policies they support that overrides everything else he does. They might even admire that he gets away with things, wishing they could do the same. Some men like the idea of frolicking with porn stars and Playboy models; others have morals.

Trumpsters, undercover or not, hate being labeled racists for supporting a man that obviously is. Donnie didn’t just become a racist when running for President. When he was running his father’s company, Black renters had their applications marked “C” for colored to reject them. He was racist then. When he took out a full-page ad in the New York Times calling for the execution of the Central Park Five (who happened to be innocent), he was racist then. More recently, his Muslim ban, caging of brown children, voter suppression of minorities, all Trump actions, and all racist. Open Trumpsters deny Trump did any of these things or explain them away as things everyone does. Undercover Trumpsters know better and stay silent. By not openly agreeing with Trump on his racist policies, undercover Trumpsters view themselves as not racist. If they support a man knowing full well who he is and what he does, you deserve the label.

Because undercover Trumpsters are embarrassed, they go to great lengths to hide their preference. They recognize that no sooner than their support of Trump becomes known; Trump will tweet, say, or do something they don’t want to be associated with and fear they’ll be asked to defend/explain it. It’s why they hide in the first place. Still, there are ways to identify undercover Trumpsters if you have suspicions. It’s important to know who they are because they’re the same people who call the police on Black people swimming in public pools, birdwatching in the park, or walking into their own houses they don’t believe you can afford.

Listen to the jokes they tell. If they find humor in misogyny, homophobia, and racist jokes but have never indicated any outward support for Trump, chances are they’re an undercover Trumpster. Who are their sports heroes? If they have contempt for LeBron James or Colin Kaepernick, but suddenly like Herschel Walker, who endorsed Trump at the Republican National Convention. Undercover Trumpster. They take a wait and see approach about who won the election. Nobody but Trumpsters believe that the significant level of errors and fraud it would take to overturn the election has taken place. If they think it isn’t over, they must be a Trumpster.

There are other signs for those paying attention. A sudden refusal to discuss politics because “it’s divisive.” An inability to look their Black co-workers in the eye may also apply to anyone, not of European descent. If the undercover Trumpster is Black, he/she probably doesn’t have any Black friends.

Just because the election is over (though they may not necessarily agree), they have been encouraged over the past four years and haven’t gone anywhere. Despite the opinion voiced by many that America has rejected Trumpism and all that it stands for. Trump supporters are growing in number, and most reject the premise he lost in a fair election. While they exist in huge numbers, expect them to resist efforts to eliminate voter suppression, systemic racism, and economic disparity. Trumpsters know they aren’t in the majority, so they do what they can to reduce others' voting strength. They need systemic racism to exist to ensure their own success and economic disparity is the proof of the pudding.

We know the undercover Trumpster can be shamed; otherwise, they wouldn’t be undercover. Once you discover who they are, you can embarrass them into silence but don’t expect their behavior to change in the voting booth's privacy. Though Trump is likely gone from public office for good, the undercovers are already looking for his replacement that supports their secret views. I leave you with the applicable lyrics of an oldie.

Smiling Faces Sometimes by The Undisputed Truth

Smiling faces sometimes

Pretend to be your friend

Smiling faces show no traces

Of the evil that lurks within (can you dig it?)

Smiling faces, smiling faces, sometimes

They don’t tell the truth

Smiling faces, smiling faces tell lies and I got proof

Oh, oh, yeah

Let me tell you

The truth is in the eyes ’cause the eyes don’t lie, amen

Remember, a smile is just a frown turned upside down my friend

So, hear me when I’m saying

Smiling faces, smiling faces, sometimes, yeah

They don’t tell the truth

Smiling faces, smiling faces tell lies and I got proof

(Beware) beware of the handshake

That hides the snake (can you dig it, can you dig it?)

I’m a-tellin’ you beware of the pat on the back

It just might hold you back

Jealousy, (jealousy) misery (misery) envy (envy)

I tell you you can’t see behind

Smiling faces, smiling faces, sometimes

Hey, they don’t tell the truth

Smiling faces, smiling faces tell lies and I got proof

Hey, your enemy won’t do you no harm

(Rap on) ’cause you’ll know where he’s comin’ from

Don’t let the handshake and the smile fool ya

Take my advice, I’m only tryin’ to school ya

Smiling faces, smiling faces, sometimes

They don’t tell the truth

Smiling faces, smiling faces tell lies and I got proof

Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes