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Are you not a Trump supporter?

I switched to the desktop computer because I think your question deserves a more detailed answer.

I guess it depends on what your definition of "supporter" is. As I said in my last reply, I WILL be voting for Trump in November. He wasn't my first choice, but the alternative now (Hillary) is so awful - that is just not an option.

I am not one of those who believes that Trump has some sort of magical ability to transcend all the challenges and limitations of Washington. I think once he gets in office, much of what he's promised us is not going to happen. But that's not the fault of Mr. Trump; anyone who gets there will have to deal with the Democrats.

I also do not buy the theory that Mr. Trump is going to pull in more new Republicans than he's going to (or has) alienated existing ones. I think that's wishful thinking. In fact, I think of all the candidates we had to choose from, he's going to have the hardest time beating Hillary. I sincerely hope to be proven wrong on that one! I heard the same kinds of theories, people saying the polls were all over-weighting Democrats, in the last election, and we all know how that turned out.

I also worry that if he manages to scrape out a narrow victory that voters will hedge their bets by electing Democrats down-ticket, leading to a Democrat controlled Senate, and an inability to get conservative, strict-constructionist judges on SCOTUS. I look forward to being proved wrong on that one too.

I believe that Trump is an absolute master at marketing his brand. I think that one of the techniques he's discovered (pioneered?) is that if you can make a strong emotional connection to people on one or two issues, but just be vague about everything else, many of them will just assume that you're in 100% alignment on everything. In their minds, he's perfect and can do no wrong. These are the people here that threaten and call names if you question any decision or any aspect of Trump's character. I'm not in that camp.

I am concerned about what Mr. Trump's actual beliefs are on certain areas. He's been very specific about some things (border enforcement, supporting the police, for example), and on those issues I'm an enthusiastic supporter. But he's been vague in other areas, and I think that people here are making a big mistake in just assuming that he's aligned with them on those. I am also concerned about areas where he's flip-flopped, that even though he appears aligned with us now, that may change after he's elected. This is a guy that plays hardball, and is a master strategist when it comes to negotiating. People here should realize that he's negotiating with the voters right now. He wants to get a good deal for himself, and his interests. I think his interests are mostly aligned with mine, but we shouldn't assume that's the case in every instance. The second amendment is one of those areas that gives me the greatest concern.

I really like that Trump seems to be de-emphasizing the controversial social issues. I know many people here will vehemently disagree with me on this, but I think the country will be better off if we can leave those issues to the state and local level, and at the federal level focus on more immediate and pressing concerns (national debt, economy, foreign policy, declining military, etc.). In that regard, I do see the possibility that Trump might pull in new Republican voters.

I do not think that Mr. Trump is a racist or a bigot, and it really ticks me off when I hear the lefties trying to insinuate that. But based on the comments I see from his supporters on many forums (breitbart.com, even here), there are a lot of bigots that are enthusiastic supporters of his. That is not Trump's fault, but I think it's caused by the same syndrome that I mentioned above - because he's been vague on certain things, people just assume he's aligned with them on those issues.

I think Mr. Trump has been an effective real-estate developer, and is a competent CEO. I think the business experience will be refreshing and beneficial to have in Washington. However, I believe that he will have some challenges initially adopting to a model where he can't just issue commands and instead has to build consensus. I am confident that he'll get past those (unless the Democrats take over the Senate, in which case we're all screwed).

I'm also really hopeful that, because Trump is not your typical panty-waisted Republican crybaby, that he WILL play hardball with the Democrats, and may be able to jam some things through even if we don't have a strong majority in both houses. He'll have challenges there, of course, because the media will be working against him every step of the way, but Trump has shown an ability to play hardball with the media as well.

So in summary, I guess I consider myself a Trump supporter, but by necessity rather than choice.