Racial resentment uniquely characterizes White Americans’ support for Donald Trump

Despite the popular narrative that White Americans supported Donald Trump in 2016 due to economic concerns, several studies show that their support is more strongly predicted by a variety of social issues concerning race and gender. The present work sought to characterize the core features of these social issues among White Americans by assessing 15 self-report and behavioral measures of social attitudes, in addition to several economic, political, and demographic indicators, and comparing their relative effects on Trump support during the Biden and second Trump presidential terms. In both studies, conducted in 2022 (N=906) and 2026 (N=1206), racial resentment was the strongest predictor of Trump support relative to all other measures of social, economic, and political concerns. Economic stress was negatively associated with Trump support. Furthermore, we find that, among conservatives, the relation between racial resentment and Trump support aligns more closely with MAGA identity than with conservatism generally. These findings clarify the nature of White Americans’ support for Trump, show its sustained association across presidential administrations, and link it closely to the MAGA movement.