Sociologist Sharon Quinsaat, who has studied social and political movements among native Hawaiian and Filipino immigrants, explains the appeal of Donald Trump to American minorities and immigrants, the “immigrant conservatives.”

Professor Quinsaat determined that how immigrants are socialized to American politics as they become acculturated to the US is the strongest indicator of their political leanings and voting patterns.

Previous generations, during the first half the of the 20^th century tended, to join unions and were thus less open to right wing messaging. Later generations were more closely aligned with the church or military, saw themselves as immigrants who “waited in line” to enter the US. But also, economic issues played a big part in their tendency to vote for Donald Trump in 2024.

Sharon M. Quinsaat is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. She is the author of the book Insurgent Communities: How Protests Create a Filipino Diaspora.

Photos courtesy of Sharon Quinsaat

Web publishing by WORT Producer Nicholas Wootton

The post Grinnell Professor Explains Appeal of Trump’s Message to Working... appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.