What the president of Y Combinator learned from interviewing 100 Trump supporters

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Okay, here’s what I just learned;

  1. The people who are anti-abortion will always be anti-abortion and don’t care about anything else. This is fundementally at odds with my point of view, which not only thinks that abortion rights are important, but also that there are a lot of other things in this country that are just as important and that need to be considered when deciding who represents me and my vision for this country. I will never agree with those who oppose abortion, and I will never respect their myopic vision of what our leadership should be.

  2. It’s easy to say “America First” but not easy to say what that actually means. To me, it means having a strong economy, having a strong social safety net, and having a strong position abroad both diplomatically and militarily. And it means cultivating our bonds with other countries and promoting American values of freedom, democracy, and respect for the rule of law and human rights. So “America First” means being a strong global citizen, helping our friends and extending the freedoms we enjoy to others around the world.

  3. I believe that immigration is an important component of our history and our future. I think we need to be more accepting of those who respect our values and who seek a life in the United States. I think we need to fulfill our moral and legal obligations to accept refugees and asylum seekers from all countries, and that not only can we afford to do so, but that it ultimately it makes our country stronger in every way.

  4. I believe that “our culture” is a dog whistle for white culture, and I believe that America is not about white culture but about a culture of people seeking greater freedom and opportunity. And in many ways, I think immigrants often represent that culture better than people who were born here. Our culture is a melting pot with one constant; the constitution.

  5. There are always going to be people who fall for the deceptions of the right wing misinformation machine - those who believe the countless lies that were told about Hillary for the last 30 years. I cannot argue with them any more than I can convince a person who is anti-abortion that it’s not the only issue they should be concerned about, or that it’s the wrong position. It is a waste of time to engage these people.

If “beating Trump” means giving up any of those principles, then I have no interest in working with Republicans, Trump supporters, or anyone else.

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