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Your calling Trump a “Big Government liberal” and focusing on his frequently shifting party allegiances really misses what’s actually going on here. Trump is not a liberal; he is a populist-nationalist. Populist-nationalists (in Trump’s brand and in European and historical varieties) put the interests of the people of their country first before that of foreigners or elites. That sometimes means they support things (certain government programs for example) that may seem liberal, but that help the struggling workers of their country. Populists have historically belonged to both the Democratic and Republican Parties, since neither party really represents their views. Yet, populism has always been an important but underrepresented force in US politics (meaning too that a populist can draw more voters across party lines than a traditional Democrat or Republican could do).

The reason populist Trump couldn’t run as a Democrat, though, is the nationalist part of his philosophy. Open-borders Democrats loathe nationalists, and it’s this America-first nationalism that is inspiring the lefties to melt-down while screaming “Fascist!” at Trump. A lot of Americans, however, feel that the globalist Dems & Repubs don’t look out for their interests at all; hence they flock to Trump, whose entire political philosophy revolves around giving the needs and safety of regular Americans precedence over those of other peoples, countries, and the elites and establishment.

I’ve read a lot about Trump, watched tons of interviews, including many old ones, etc., and I’m convinced he’s been a populist-nationalist since at least the 1980s, if not his whole life. He hasn’t switched his core political philosophy; he just doesn’t fit well into pre-defined party labels.