1. They stand to benefit from volatility.
This, I think, may be the most important point and explains why Trump supporters don’t think they are necessarily morally compromised by their vote. They aren’t giving a thumbs up to Trump’s moral compass; they are buying stock in his candidacy because they think it will benefit them, their own, and the rest of the country, at least in comparison to a Clinton regime. Chris Arnade made this helpful financial metaphor in his recent Quartz essay. Basically, the elites of the country, centered in the cities and especially the coasts, control not only the money, but also the social capital. The globalist economy and progressive social mores have both been on the upswing.
The social-moral capital is where evangelicals get involved. From chaotic university safe-spaces to Obergefell v. Hodges to Planned Parenthood selling baby parts without consequences to sexually-confused bathroom policies, evangelicals have come out on the bottom. The Democratic Party has been antagonistic since at least the 1960s, and the GOP establishment has seemingly failed to keep its promises (ironically, Mike Pence was a recent and prominent example of this). And cultural trends point to further setbacks. Arnade observes: “As any trader will tell you, if you are stuck lower, you want volatility, uncertainty. No matter how it comes. Put another way. Your downside is flat, your upside isn’t. Break the system. The elites loathe volatility. Because, the upside is limited, but the downside isn’t. In option language, they are in the money.”
Donald Trump is a way to break the system for evangelicals. Although it’s a financial metaphor, it’s not all about the money. It’s more about a way or ways of life that are on the rocks, which Arnade explores in his conclusion. Some evangelicals feel they have nothing to lose but possibly something to gain with a Trump presidency.
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