Let’s talk about politics. I know The Times Record focuses on local stories of interest, and what is happening in Washington may seem like a distant source of entertainment — or anguish. But the words, actions, and policies of the President and Congress have critical impacts on our local environment, our health care, our jobs, our neighborhoods and our moral sensibilities. So, while we enjoy our lives in Maine, it’s important to pay close attention to what’s happening at the national level.

Donald Trump has enthusiastic followers among Republicans. What are the values and interests driving that support? I can understand the appeal for some people of Trump’s macho showmanship, his calls to “make America great again.” Wealthy benefactors clearly gain from Trump’s actions, and some white men of all social and economic classes, feeling threatened by the country’s changing demographics and demands for equality from women, people of color, and gays, might be drawn to Trump’s expressions of racism, sexism, and homophobia. But I’m unable to grasp how his followers can ignore the glaring disconnect between the promises he makes and what he actually does. Instead of “draining the swamp,” he has staffed his cabinet with people who are dedicated to dismantling the policies, regulations, and institutions, forged over many years, that protect our environment, promote public education and welfare, and strengthen our democracy. Trump surrounds himself with sycophants who parrot his tirades — or try to justify them — while they fatten their wallets.

Instead of making America great, Trump is endangering our environment and our planet’s future, threatening jobs with ill-advised tariffs, demeaning his office and our country’s international standing, enriching the already wealthy at the expense of middle- and working-classes and needy citizens, and stacking our courts with far-right conservatives who will try to eradicate the protections that we have worked so hard to gain.

Trump has bamboozled his working-class base; he has no concern for people who are not like himself — white, male, and privileged. He is driven not by moral principles or a consistent ideology but by narcissistic self-interest, a penchant for bullying and lying, and a shocking ignorance — or denial — of science, history and ethics. Trump’s rally speeches are like a huckster’s pitch, playing to people’s fears, anger, and insecurity, substituting bombast and vitriol for thoughtful content.

What Trump seems to be very good at is promoting himself and his brand and manipulating the press and the public. When questioned off camera by Leslie Stahl on CBS’s 60 Minutes, just after his election, as to why he criticizes the press at length, Donald Trump replied, “You know why I do it? I do it to discredit you all and demean you all so when you write negative stories about me, no one will believe you … .” By labeling any negative reporting about him as “fake news,” Trump has tried to neutralize the media, to cut it off from its traditional watchdog role in a democracy.

Bolstered by Trump’s conspiracy theories, well-documented lies, audacity, and nationalistic rhetoric, his loyalists accept whatever he says, overlooking — or cheering — his tirades against migrants, his sexist and racist rants, his fabrications and slurs, and his seemingly insatiable narcissism.

Trump’s appeal to the white elite makes sense. But what about Trump’s working-class supporters, the people he has bamboozled? Are they simply uninformed? Some may be, just as are some people of all political and cultural stripes. Are they all racist, sexist nativists? Some may be. (The fact that many of these people own guns is not comforting.) But most, I suggest, are upset about serious issues that impact their lives: a marked decline in their standard of living, sometimes leading to depression and drug use; government expenditures that don’t seem to benefit them; the damaging effects of perpetual war on their young men and women; and in general, feelings of being left behind, of losing control over their lives.

These are significant problems that need to be addressed. All people want to be treated fairly and with respect. But Donald Trump doesn’t do that. He doesn’t solve problems that affect us. Rather, he aggravates them and creates new ones, both at home and abroad, using fear and distortions to divide people and stoke their anger. He rewards his wealthy business supporters with tax breaks and deregulation, and he throws rhetorical crumbs and bombast to his working class base.

So, I repeat, he has bamboozled most of his supporters. Eventually, Trump will be gone. Our country and our democracy will try to recover. In the meantime, we should oppose him and Republicans in Congress who support him (Sen. Collins, are you listening?) with demonstrations, letters to our representatives and media, and our money. And we should vote for people at all levels of government who will truly act in our best interests.

Will Fritzmeier lives in Bath.