Looking back, however, the underlying rationale feels obvious. My father had lost so much, and he was afraid of losing more. His angry far-right politics masked the vulnerabilities that pervaded his life, and his guns gave him the illusion of control. He was primed for a man like Trump, who gave credence to his fears. The immigrants were at our borders, and the Muslims were at our doorsteps, and Hillary Clinton had a chokehold on democracy. When Trump told everyone that the next disaster was already upon us, my father was too afraid to ignore the message.
