Why Pnut Readers Voted for Trump

PNUT GALLERY
 

Earlier this week, we asked Pnut readers who voted for President Trump to share why they voted for him. We found the responses to be very interesting and varied but some consistent themes underlie these responses:

  1. Desperately wanting and insisting on change, and finding Trump to be the embodiment of disruption to the establishment
  2. Many Trump voters found Hillary Clinton to be a completely distasteful and couldn’t imagine her as their President
  3. Alignment with Trump’s views as a candidate on certain personal core values/matters, e.g. abortion

We encourage everyone to read all of the responses. Especially for those who find President Trump despicable or cannot understand Trump’s rise to power. These responses can be viewed  here.

We believe our country is incredibly divided right now across so many spectrums: politically, geographically, racially, and financially. It’s incredible that humanity has never been more interconnected and plugged in digitally but fractured as communities, with this clash manifesting itself over the past year.

We asked Daily Pnut Trump voters if they would be willing to be email pen pals with non-Trump supporters. Some agreed and some gave us the email equivalent of a side eye (essentially, I don’t want to be talking to some crazy liberals!). If you are a non-Trump supporter and would like to connect with a Trump voter as an email pen pal, then please let us know at editor@dailypnut.com.

We can’t promise everyone an email pen-pal. We’ll see how many people respond and then follow with everyone based on the number/level of interest. We will connect pen pals next week and also provide some ground rules such as not talking about politics until 10 emails have been exchanged. And using the first few emails to understand the other person: their backgrounds, their interests, and their dreams.

 
 
 
IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ
 

One China: President Trump last night told his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jingping, that the United States would continue to honor the One China policy (which requires the US to not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign and independent country). Apparently, Mr. Xi would only take the call on the precondition that President Trump acknowledge the One China policy. For the past two months the two leaders have been circling around each other after Trump broke long standing tradition by first talking to Taiwan’s President. Relations didn’t improve once reports surfaced that Steve Bannon, Trump’s chief strategist, predicted a war with China over islands in the South China Sea. This is also a change in Trump’s policy as he said he would expect China to provide concessions in return for his acknowledgment of the One China Policy. US-Sino relations will undoubtedly be receiving significant attention the next four years given the rapid rise of China, and even this weekend as Trump welcomes Japan’s prime minister’s visit to the U.S.

Banning the Ban: A federal appeals panel voted 3-0 to strike down implementation of Trump’s travel ban executive order. The judges disagreed with the U.S. government’s argument that the ban would advance national security. Minutes after this ruling, Trump tweeted “SEE YOU IN COURT.” Without a doubt, the case will make its way to the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court rules 4-4 then the court’s ruling yesterday will stay in effect.

Meanwhile the Republican controlled government is looking to weaken the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) ability to protect consumers. Many administration officials have long held the CFPB in disregard as it is seen as the brainchild of Senator Warren. Administration efforts to gut the CFPB could politically backfire as Trump campaigned and also stated in his inaugural speech that he wanted to give power back to the people. And weakening the CFPB would strengthen big businesses hand at the expense of consumers.

 
 
 
KEEPING OUR EYE ON
 

Russians and Turks Find a Common Enemy in ISIS: The Kremlin has confirmed that Russian airstrikes killed three Turkish soldiers, in the town of al-Bab in Syria. President Vladimir Putin phoned Turkey’s President Erdogan, expressing his condolences. According to the Turkish military, both countries are conducting a joint investigation. Relations between Russia and Turkey turned cold in November 2015 when Turkey shot down a Russian jet near the Syrian border. In June 2016, President Erdogan expressed his regret over the incident and relations between the two countries started improving. Last month, Russia and Turkey began conducting joint air strikes against ISIS forces in Syria.

Protests in Zimbabwe: A Zimbabwean pastor arrested for igniting anti-government protests against the Zimbabwe 92-year-old President Robert Mugabe, has been released on a $300 bail. Evan Mawarire was arrested upon arrival in Zimbabwe on February 1st, after spending eight months in the United States. The protest movement he started on social media, #ThisFlag, could land him 20 years in prison if he is convicted. For now, Mawarire, who was described as a “terrorist” by the prosecutor, is “looking forward to taking a shower” upon his release.

 
 
 
LOOSE NUTS
 

BE SMARTER & ENTERTAINED

Readers wrote to us saying they wanted the weekend reads. And we’ve responded by having additional articles throughout the week that we found really interesting or insightful. We hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

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If you have an interest in world affairs and would like to write for Daily Pnut on topics as varied as Zimbabwe, Turkey, or China, then please contact editor@dailypnut.com.

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