The writer begins to close his mind when he elides Trump voters with either Richard Spencer or David Duke supporters. It is disturbing that a university prof will make such a easily dismissed factual error yet base his view of current events on that factual error.

How did people get so willing to misrepresent facts to push a narrative?

What I like about Trump is he was against Mid East wars, and judging by Syria he has followed through on his promise to reduce war in that region. He even got the CIA to stop supporting the 'moderate rebels'  - ie ISIS allies, if not in fact ISIS. 

But now that the people he can trust have been removed - with great help from the Charlottesville disaster - I'm expecting renewed push for war in the mid east. The war machine is just too powerful. Nevertheless, desiring to reduce war will always be morally superior position to worrying about transgenders being allowed into the military.