Brown Men Want America to be Great For Them, Too.
Economic uncertainty, desire for assimilation and disdain for women were a winning combination for men of color during the Harris vs. Trump show-down.
A couple of nights ago, I reluctantly asked a male friend, J., what his thoughts were about Trump winning. For context: we’re both South Asian, raised in New York City. He works in construction, I am a writer.
Unsurprisingly, he went off on a rant about how he doesn’t vote because all politicians are crooks but he’s glad Trump won.
“Why,” I asked, mentally fisting up prepared to respond with all the usual arguments:
You’re an immigrant yourself, how could you side with someone so vile and racist who has a history of the Muslim Ban, separating migrant children from their families, threatening to deport people in search of a better life?
He promotes white supremacy, don’t you care about equality for our communities?
He hates women! You have two daughters—is that the future you want for your children?
J. argued, “illegal migrants are taking away jobs and decreasing wages. I hire a lot of these undocumented migrants myself and I can hire them for way less than a guy with his papers because they’re willing to do whatever, which means wages are decreasing overall and people have no money. Let them come through legally! No one is telling them not to come.”
I was prepared to fact-check him (what about Trump’s cut tax cuts for the rich during his first term? What about when he killed overtime pay protection?) but it’s futile.
People are EXHAUSTED from being broke—from not being able to pay for gas and groceries, from owning homes—inflation has whipped our asses. Brown working class men, in particular, are disillusioned by working hard and receiving very little in return.
Another important note: millennial and Gen Z men are falling further and further behind in terms of education and professional success than women; blue-collar work is decreasingly valued; men overall are struggling to find a place in the world despite the patriarchy’s icy grip. Reuters reports that among people without college degrees and who are not white, Trump's share of the vote increased by eight points.
Fifty-four percent of Latino men voted for Trump—the group he targeted the most with his anti-immigrantion rhetoric—because of the economy and they want to curb the flow of illegal immigration.
Every immigrant, migrant, or refugee in America aspires to align themselves with the American Dream—a stable life with a home, a car, a steady income, and retirement savings. Yet, over the past decade, this dream has eroded for many, especially men of color, who often face additional barriers in achieving economic stability and security.
“Undocumented migrants are getting government benefits and living in five-star hotels while tax-paying citizens are struggling!” said my friend J., the son of a former undocumented immigrant to me—the daughter of former undocumented immigrants.
The New York Post reported similar sentiments among immigrants and descendants of immigrants they interviewed who “are upset to see that migrants who crossed the border illegally are now receiving government benefits while citizens here are struggling.”
So when someone promises to "Make America Great Again" in 2024, people believe it—even if they didn't in 2016—because they’ve struggled under the Biden-Harris administration.
Giving in to xenophobia can become an easy choice for some immigrant men given the economic turmoil of the past few years. The desire to assimilate—and, for many communities of color, a desire for proximity to white privilege—can lead them to turn their prejudices inward, often toward their own communities. They become sanctimonious about their immigration status, wanting to distance themselves from the margins in order to be seen as part of the mainstream.
Undocumented immigrants are an easy scapegoat.
Last weekend in Jackson Heights, Queens, Bangladeshi-origin men drove through the streets, chanting slogans in support of Trump. In the back seat of one of these cars, a lone elderly woman rolled down her window, grinning at the bewildered members of her community who paused mid-samosa bite, hot chai in hand, wondering what on earth was happening.
The men were loud and proud, rallying behind a white, billionaire man who cares little for them yet managed to secure their support.
Because, as they say, "It’s the economy, stupid."
Read More:
Why the Working Class Wants Trump Back (NYT gift link)
Voter Anxiety over the Economy (PBS)
Trump’s Multiracial Coalition of Men is Here (New York Magazine)
This “People are EXHAUSTED from being broke—from not being able to pay for gas and groceries, from owning homes—inflation has whipped our asses.”