Author: Spencer Goidel

Spencer Goidel is an assistant professor of political science at Auburn University. He received his Ph.D. from the Texas A&M University, and bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Spencer studies public opinion, voting behavior, elections and political communication. His research investigates how political institutions, objective conditions, subjective evaluations, the media, and communication technologies shape the behaviors and attitudes of American voters. Currently, Spencer is interested in how partisan realignment is shaping voting behavior and public opinion.

Trump’s Appeal to Nostalgia Deliberately Evokes America’s More Racist, More Sexist Past

There’s a reason Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign is working hard to evoke nostalgia: People who are nostalgic—meaning, people who long for America’s “good old days”—were more likely to vote for Republican candidates in the 2022 midterm elections.

Trump’s nostalgia is more than simple retrospection. Trump’s appeal isn’t just about a better economic past or a more stable society. It serves as an evocation of a time in America when women and minorities had less power.