White evangelical Trump support reflects prior populist and authoritarian dispositions

Evidence

By November 2016, the affinities were clear. A substantial number of white evangelicals shared Trump’s nationalism, Islamophobia, racism, and nativism. They condoned his “nasty politics”: they agreed that injured protestors got what they deserved, that the country would be better off getting rid of “bad apples,” and that people were “too sensitive” about what was said in politics. Drawn to his populist appeals, white evangelicals demonstrated a preference for rejecting political compromise, for strong, solitary leadership, and for breaking the rules when necessary. These dispositions held whether white evangelicals were defined by affiliation, self-identification, or belief and behavior. — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 11

Categorization

• QUESTION: The phrase ‘breaking the rules when necessary’ is doing heavy lifting — worth chasing how Du Mez operationalizes rule-breaking as a virtue and whether it predates or follows Trump.
• XREF: Echoes Milgrom’s finding that dispositions persist regardless of the definitional lens used — here, affiliation vs. self-identification vs. belief measures converge. — connects to: White Christian nationalism drives right-wing populism in America — Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, The Flag and the Cross: White Christian…, 178; White Christians supported Trump despite his apparent moral violations — Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, The Flag and the Cross: White Christian…, 18; The Christian right supports Trump for autocratic power, not shared Christian values — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers: Inside the…, 169 (+1 more)