This story was originally published on nationaljournal.com on June 20, 2016. Last week, it was Detroit; Colorado Springs; Los Angeles; Newport Beach, California; Salt Lake City; Park City, Utah; and Orlando. This week, it’s Chicago; Pittsburgh; and Asheville, North Carolina. Suffice it to say, I get around the country a lot and will have more frequent-flyer points than my wife and kids can possibly use. At most every stop, I come across people—overwhelmingly men, invariably white—who are openly or tacitly supporting Donald Trump. A second group of Republicans will vote for him, albeit not enthusiastically, but he is their nominee. For them, voting for Hillary Clinton is not an option. To a person, the true Trump backers passionately cling to the belief that he will win in November, though their arguments and convictions get weaker and less persuasive every week. But they truly believe it. Given the peculiarities of this year, who is to say they can’t be right? After all, presidential nominations usually go to current or former governors, and occasionally a random senator, but this year, current or
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