Three placards were waved prominently and defiantly in front of the podium before Donald Trump addressed a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday. “Veterans for Trump.”
They were an indication that, despite what pundits have described as the worst campaign week for any presidential candidate in living memory, the Republican nominee still has a solid core of supporters who either do not know or do not care – even as Republicans in Congress who served in the military struggle with their candidate.
In a few short days, Trump managed to insult the parents of a fallen war hero, claim that Russia would not invade Ukraine (it has already done so), say his daughter should “find another company” if she were sexually harassed, joke about receiving a Purple Heart, initially refuse to endorse Paul Ryan, the highest ranking elected Republican, and even order a crying baby out of a rally.
The string of unforced errors certainly seemed to affect independent and moderate Republican voters. An NBC/ Wall Street Journal poll put Hillary Clinton at 47% and Trump at just 38%; tellingly, she had moved one point ahead among men, who usually lean away from the Democrats. An Atlanta Journal-Constitution survey even put Clinton four points ahead in Georgia, where a Democrat hasn’t won a presidential race since her husband, Bill, did in 1992.
Such margins would be enough to put the first female president in the White House, but Democrats are guarding against complacency. Another important figure crept out this week: Trump raised $80m in July, boosted by small online donations. It was indicative of a noisy, fiercely enthusiastic support base – what he calls “a movement” – that is unlikely to be swayed by controversies that transfix Washington and the media.
“I’m still for him,” said Lei Ann Gleaves, who described herself as a stay-at-home mother from Franklin, Tennessee. “It’s going to take a lot for me not to be for him because I completely distrust Hillary.
“It’s August,” she added. “People are not going to tune in until after Labor Day. They are putting their vacations in and I don’t think they’re paying attention.”
Michael Barnett, a 39-year-old lawyer from Palm Beach, Florida, expressed similar sentiments. “I’m still supporting Trump, now more than ever,” he said. “Hillary had a bad couple of weeks, now Trump’s having a downturn, but it’s going to even out. Trump is the real deal. What some people find a detriment, others find refreshing, that he’s been willing to speak his mind and say what the silent majority are thinking.”
At Trump rallies, the row over Humayun Khan, the American Muslim soldier killed in Iraq in 2004, does not seem to matter to superfans decked out in campaign merchandise. Many drive hours and then stand in lines for hours more in order to see their idol. At a recent rally in Virginia, a New Jersey native, Bill McKee, said that while he was attending his first rally in person, he normally watched them on the One America News Network, a niche rightwing competitor to Fox News that broadcasts every event.
Several key states in the election have strong military connections, which could be decisive in close races. Some 60 Republicans in the House of Representatives are veterans, and the Observer attempted to contact all of them with few responses. Among those who did respond, support for Trump was mostly holding, although some were sharply critical of his conduct towards the family of Khan.
“I spent 26 years in the US air force,” said the Ohio representative Bill Johnson. “I understand the sacrifices our service members and their families make. Humayun Khan gave his life in the service of America, and he is a hero. Mr Trump should show that Gold Star family more respect, just as Hillary Clinton should show the Gold Star families of the Benghazi heroes more respect.
“I’ve said for some time now that I would support the Republican nominee for president, because the alternative is Hillary Clinton, who has demonstrated time and time again that she is unfit to serve as commander-in-chief.”
Representative Brian Babin of Texas, who noted his own service and that he is the father of a Purple Heart winner, similarly condemned Clinton’s handling of an attack on US diplomats in Benghazi, Libya. But he avoided comment on the Khans.
“When it comes to protecting the American people from Islamic terrorism, it is an easy choice, as Trump is far superior compared to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s colossal failures in Libya, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Afghanistan, Iran and Tunisia,” Babin said. “She’s a disaster waiting to happen when it comes to American national security.”
At least one representative, Louisiana’s Ralph Abraham, tried to broker peace. “In politics, everything should be taken in context, but rarely is that the case,” he said, arguing that the contributions of Trump and the Khans are both vital.
“Without businesspeople, America would have no military or infrastructure,” he said. “Without people like Capt Khan, America would have no freedom. It’s time for both sides to apologize to the other and focus on the issues that will ensure our continued freedom.”
And a few disparaged Trump at length. The California representative Steve Knight, who has not endorsed any candidate, called Trump’s comments “deplorable” and said that “no matter what happens with the upcoming election”, he hopes Trump will learn more about Gold Star families and their “pain that is felt for the rest of their lives”.
The South Carolina representative Mark Sanford, who has for months expressed reservations about Trump, said: “This seemingly never-ending parade of insults needs to stop.”
He added that Trump’s actions “do not win the hearts and minds of the independent voter essential in a two way contest”.
Despite the nominee’s self-destructive conduct over the past week, Michael Steele, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, said Trump must change to win – a common refrain from party leaders since the businessman clinched the nomination.
“He’s now getting hit by double-digit deficits in the polls nationally and in swing states like Pennsylvania, which is a must-win and which he should be winning,” Steele said. “That should be a wake-up call. You don’t need an intervention to tell you. The people will do that.
“But he has to know he has to do some things differently,” he added. “If he continues to think this is a winning strategy, it’s over.”
