The "base," most certainly is not made up of just minimum wage workers. I have known many of them over my lifetime. Most of his followers are the "Lost Generation," of the Data and Silicon Valley era. Their views on race, religion, women's equality and other issues have put them outside of mainstream "norms." It may seem incongruous that the bellicose guys with guns in their hands and rage in their eyes, have problems with self-esteem, but that is central to why they were targeted by Trump. He told them the truth they wanted to hear. They are just as good as anyone, as individuals. They have been hearing a lie almost all their lives, that their life mattered less than others.
While I don't endorse most of their views, I was committed to lay down my life defending their right to believe them, when I was in the Army. I was just as supportive of their access to VA care and services, as I was to anyone else's for 30-years.
I did not live their lifestyle and was unaware of how it felt to have their beliefs assigned to every physically unattractive character in film and criticized in all public fora. So, I should not be surprised that many of them, who did not commit overt acts of racism, found reports that these were widespread, to be incredulous.
In the early 1980's I suggested an event I called "International Heritage Days," to my Equal Opportunity Committee at the Sepulveda VA Medical Center. It was the result of trying to figure out the lack of support for Asian-Pacific Heritage Days, and a comment made to me about the lack of a "White History Month." International Heritage Days took all the activities associated with such events and opened them for people of all heritages. It is one thing to call America multi-cultural. It is another thing to see people of all cultures "strut their stuff," for each other. When you get to sing your song, you appreciate the unique music of others.
I have witnessed up close, the problems America has with peaceful coexistence among our
various selves. We are overdue for a national talk about race. I suggest scheduling the start of that talk, the week after a National-International Heritage Week. America is Great when we truly recognize that each one of us is just as valuable as the next person.