Donald Trump's loutish campaign for the U.S. presidency has left most of the world — excluding, perhaps, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his European populist allies, like France's Marine Le Pen — confused and aghast. Indeed, it is difficult for anyone to assess not only what Trump would do as president, but also which racial or religious minority, or foreign country, he holds in greatest contempt.
Name virtually any group or country, and you can bet Trump has insulted it. He has called Mexican immigrants to the United States "criminals" and "rapists." He has proposed banning all Muslims from entering the U.S. He has flung sexist invective at professional women who have the temerity to stand up to him, and has called others "dogs" and "fat slobs." He has sneered at America's allies, and blamed China for many of America's economic woes.
But it seems that the people whom Trump holds in the greatest contempt are his own supporters. Instead of giving anything like a straight answer about the policies he would pursue were he actually elected, he has stoked and manipulated their inchoate rage, rooted in frustration with stagnant wages and fear of the unknown.
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