Why Are Trump's Supporters Happy with His Conspiracy Theories at the Helsinki Summit?

Handing the ball to Mr. Trump!

At the Helsinki Summit a few days ago, President Donald Trump lambasted American intelligence officials, strongly implying that they were corrupt and politicized, while he praised Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and questioned the findings of American intelligence that the Russian government had interfered with the 2016 American election that put Mr. Trump in office. Bipartisan outrage followed.

But Mr. Trump's conspiracy theories won the controversy. Trump's supporters did not waver at all. His performance at the Helsinki Summit may have troubled them a little, tiny bit, but they believed Trump; they did not believe the American intelligence officials; they have contempt for Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, and they think that Trump is doing just fine. Why?

Here's the issue: mainstream news reporters, most university professors, most members of Congress (when they are not pontificating for the cameras) and political authorities tend to take a rational, evidence-based approach to politics. Most people do not. As linguist George Lakoff notes, people make political decisions emotionally, not rationally.

1. The great majority of Americans believe the ridiculous "Deep State" conspiracy theory. This theory, which seems to be an offshoot of the even more ridiculous New World Order conspiracy theory, holds that a massive network of career government officials and Democratic operatives work behind the scenes, in total secrecy, cooperating with one another to overthrow Trump's administration.

A Monmouth University poll a few months ago found that fully 74% of Americans believe that a "group of unelected government and military officials . . . secretly manipulate or direct national policy." NRA members and non-whites were especially likely to believe that some such conspiracy occurs. Interestingly, few of the poll respondents have heard of the actual term "Deep State," which often appears on the Trump-sycophantic Fox News Network.

2. Most Americans, as I noted in an earlier blog post, believe in at least one unjustified conspiracy theory. So, people like college professors and news reporters, who think of themselves as serious and rational, think that unjustified conspiracy theories are stupid. They hold people in contempt when they express unproven conspiracy theories. But people who ridicule conspiracy theories are very much a minority. Conspiracy theories are as all-American as apple pie. Conspiracy theories are not fringe beliefs. Donald Trump understands that, and his critics do not.

Although both Democrats and Republicans believe in conspiracy theories, polls suggest that Trump voters tend to accept conspiracy theories and rumors about former President Barack Obama, and Republicans are especially likely to think that accusations of Russian interference are just a conspiracy against Trump. Fully 49% of Trump supporters see at least some merit in the insanely silly Pizzagate conspiracy theory, which holds that Hillary Clinton ran a child abuse ring in the basement of a tiny pizza restaurant that, well, doesn't have a basement.

So, why should Trump's supporters be unhappy? He stood up in an international forum and railed against the alleged conspirators. That's exactly what his supporters wanted to hear. A CBS poll found that, although the majority of Americans found Trump's performance at Helsinki to be wrong, 68% of Republicans approved of his performance. He reinforced a conspiracy theory they believe in, and they like Trump, so what's the problem?

So, Mr. Trump ended his diatribe by saying, "And I have to say if they had it, it would have been out long ago. And if anybody watched Peter Strzok testify over the last couple of days, and I was in Brussels watching it, it was a disgrace to the FBI. It was a disgrace to our country. And you would say, ‘That was a total witch hunt.’ Thank you very much, everybody." He said what his voters believed. Why should that trouble them?

At last, Mr. Trump's supporters must have thought, at last, at long last, we have a President who will protect us against conspiracies.


Earlier posts:

• Political response to Helsinki summit driven by partisanship
• Trump's conspiracy theories at Helsinki were nothing new. 
• Why didn't Putin deny that he had compromised Trump? Rhetoric of silence...
• How to evaluate conspiracy theories (since some conspiracies are real!)

 For more information:  there is a substantial scientific literature about the psychology of conspiracy theories. Here's one especially good article (very technical). 


Official Kremlin photo, http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/trips/58021/photos/54673