OTHER REASONS FOR TRUMP TO FEAR EDUCATED PEOPLE
If he is the stable genius he claims to be, Trump is smart enough to understand that educated people have the ability to hurt him beyond the voting booth and media. They can hurt him in two ways:

• Destroy his stranglehold on Congress by voting Democratic.
• Shape public understanding of the reasons why Trump and his allies do what they do.

Activist voters can influence political outcomes by informing non-college voters about the reason Trump says and does things they don’t understand and disapprove of. Such issues include but are not limited to the following:

• How certain behaviors create instability and conflict.
• Why he uses divisive rhetoric.
• Why he uses punitive Executive Orders to punish Democrats, media and blue states.
• Assessment of his character.
• Assessment of his mental health.
• Expose his fear and shame.
• Explain how his character, fear, shame and mental health drive his rhetoric and actions.

Campaign strategists are extremely cautious about appearing to make medical or psychological claims about a political figure. Strategists worry that:

• It can be framed as unfair or stigmatizing.
• It can backfire by generating sympathy for the candidate.
• It shifts the conversation away from policy and toward personal attacks.

So even when voters might feel something is off, strategists stay away from language that resembles diagnosis. Here are some of the reasons why they avoid these strategies:

They fear backlash from non‑college voters: There is an assumption that some non‑college voters will reject nuanced campaigns on deep, soft, non-policy issues that deal with matters such as character, psychology, fear and shame. Strategists worry this can sound condescending, even if the intention is educational and even though Republicans follow a “no-holds-barred” strategy in their campaign rhetoric. So, Democrat strategists avoid explanations that feel too academic, therapeutic, or elite‑coded. This fear creates an unlevel playing field where Democrats play nice while Republicans play dirty. Talking about character, psychology and mental health is not dirty play. It is fair game when trying to educate voters about factors that will inform them about who to choose as their president. Failure to educate them is not exactly criminal but it is at least short-sighted, unwise and unpatriotic. The potential risks of incurring backlash from Trump’s base is a minor consequence compared to the real and present dangers of him remaining in office.

They believe voters respond more to material issues: For decades, strategists have assumed that talk about health care, wages, jobs and inflation is more relevant that discussing character. Strategists also tend to believe that voters care more about their bills than psychology.  This belief has never been tested. 

They fear the media will frame it as personal attacks: Campaigns that discuss instability, divisive rhetoric, punitive behavior and character traits might be framed by opponents and media as “unfair negative campaigning.”  Therefore, strategists try to avoid that trap.

They underestimate how much voters care about leadership behavior: Political scientists have shown that voters — especially swing and non‑college voters — do care about stability, temperament, predictability, respect for norms, and how a leader treats people. But strategists often assume these topics are too “soft” or “abstract,” so they underuse them.

They worry about complexity: Explaining why a leader uses chaos, divisive rhetoric, punitive actions and conflict requires context and nuance that doesn’t fit into a 30‑second ad. There is always risk that voters will tune out complex explanations and/or twist the message. So, they default to simpler, safer, traditional election strategies.

They fear accusations of elitism: Talking about character, insecurity, shame, fear, and mental health can sound like “armchair psychology,” which strategists might think will alienate working‑class voters — even though, many voters without college educations already talk about these things in plain language.

They fear bullying, and perhaps even violence, from Trump and his supporters: This is a very real fear. But election in these modern times are not ordinary elections. In the Trump era, and maybe even after he is gone, elections have the potential to influence the American democratic experience for good or ill for decades to come. Therefore, elections that calls for creative strategies and great courage in the face of adverse, even violent responses from Trump and his followers. Failing to face these consequences out of fear of retaliation would be evidence of poor character and weakness.  There would not be a United States of America if colonists didn’t face their fears. 21st Century patriots can do no less.

Historically, campaign strategists avoid these issues because they are hard to message, easy to misinterpret, vulnerable to backlash, difficult to compress into soundbites, possibly risky — not because they’re irrelevant. But the political environment of 2026 and 2028 is not like any previous era in American history. Policy positions alone are not sufficient markers of suitability to serve in public office. Character matters. Courage matters.