Arrogant, elitist politicians dismiss Donald Trump’s ridiculous proposal to build a wall between the United States and Mexico, to their own peril. While the feasibility of building such a wall is highly suspect, Trump uses it as the cornerstone upon which to build his xenophobic empire.
For Trump’s followers, the perceived weakness they feel in America’s economy is fixed by a wall – even if doing so won’t improve the economy. Keeping these “other” people out is clear indication that Trump represents the people who think that they would be inside the wall, and that’s a very comforting idea to them.
Understanding that, it makes sense that Trump would want his wall to be “big” and “beautiful.” It’s the shining star of his cause. If peddling fear of other cultures is what has made him popular, he is going to make sure he takes that fear as far as it can go.
Other politicians, especially those who would dismiss Trump as a sideshow, should recognize that there are large numbers of people who support Trump. Republicans made that mistake. They ignored how far his message of fear would resonate within their party. This cannot be the mistake that Democrats and progressives make, the issues are too important to let arrogance win.
