Trump made them feel like they were in charge again. So much white reaction can be tied to their loss of power and material benefits (i.e. privilege) as the country becomes less religious and less white. Conservative white folks have always held the favor of capital, but in recent years capital has been trying to expand who gets to be included (note the fervor of white reaction against largely performative acts of support for LGBTQ causes from corporations). And privilege is a zero sum game. Trump was always signaling to religious white folks that he was gonna do things that would let them regain a feeling of superiority, usually by hurting the “right” people.
Trump made them feel like they were in charge again. So much white reaction can be tied to their loss of power and material benefits (i.e. privilege) as the country becomes less religious and less white. Conservative white folks have always held the favor of capital, but in recent years capital has been trying to expand who gets to be included (note the fervor of white reaction against largely performative acts of support for LGBTQ causes from corporations). And privilege is a zero sum game. Trump was always signaling to religious white folks that he was gonna do things that would let them regain a feeling of superiority, usually by hurting the “right” people.