“It is not just the reality that a Black man could be the president of the United States that has threatened the status quo. It is also the collapse of the American economy in September 2008 and the financial threat that many felt in the waning months of George W. Bush’s presidency; it is the ruptured sense of security brought on by the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 and other, more recent attacks on American soil; it is the slow recognition that the United States might not always hold its position of prominence in the world; and perhaps especially it is the fact that White people will soon be the numerical minority in the US. Each of these societal changes represents a challenge to a set of assumptions, deeply held, by many in our nation, and anxiety—even fear—is the result.” 

Obama’s election was widely seen as a sign of social progress, but it was also a change that contributed to the anxiety felt by many White Americans. The fear that society was changing in unpredictable ways can lead to “us versus them” behavior because they feel a loss of control over the direction that society is headed in. These White people lash out at those who they perceive to be “against” them, leading to a rise in hate crimes following the 2008 election. While Obama’s presidency did indeed represent progress, that progress does not come easily or without costs.

“Yes, we have an innate tendency to think in ‘us’ and ‘them’ categories, but we look to the leader to help us know who the ‘us’ is and who the ‘them’ is. The leader can define who is in and who is out.” 

Leaders have considerable power over people’s attitudes and beliefs. They have greater access to forms of public discourse (anything they say is likely to be widely reported in the media, for example) and their social position means that people are more likely to listen to what they have to say. Trump’s exclusionary rhetoric has heightened the fears of many White people and has led to increased hostility toward people of color and other marginalized groups.