September 29, 2025 — As US President Donald Trump goes further and further off the rails in his demolition of long-standing rules and norms, it remains puzzling why so many Americans voted for him and continue to support him. It is especially puzzling why so many lower and middle-income Americans support him, since his policies tend to their economic disadvantage. Cutting federal spending on Medicaid and many other government services while simultaneously extending massive tax cuts for high-income households, does not sound crowd-pleasing populism. But perhaps this is only puzzling to economists.