Why are Americans so polarized? What really happened in the 2016 election? I’m leaving my liberal bubble to get some answers.
Radio in Trump Country.
Dining in Trump Country.
Changing landscapes in Trump Country.
Wow. Absolutely humbled by the responses to my first day as a big city journalist in Trump Country. Lots to think about. More dispatches tomorrow.
Day two! Back on the road and out of my bubble. But what about other bubbles? Started the day by looking at the media in Trump Country.
Observation: In NYC, the question you’re most likely to hear is “White, wheat, or rye?” Out here in Trump Country, it’s “Leaded or unleaded?”
I’ve coined a term for this phenomenon: I call it “The Two Americas.” It’s an idea I’ll hopefully be developing as I continue to report and research.
Stopped to get gas and had a close call. 😬
Definitely the strangest restaurant I’ve ever been to, but out in Trump Country they’re all like this. Just don’t try to order a portobello panino! 
Encountering religion in Trump Country.
Heard Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” on the radio four separate times today while driving through Trump Country! Perhaps a coincidence, but I couldn’t help wonder if Trump’s “romance” with his base is turning sour!
End of Day Two in Trump Country. Today was...a little difficult at times. And it ended on an unsettling note.
Nonetheless, I’ll be back tomorrow, because, as one three year old told me today, “This is the work that needs to be done [if] our republic is going to survive.”
Wow! Day Three starting with some great news: I’ve got an offer on my next new book, “Red State, Blue State, Me State, You State: Why We Really Are Better Together and What We Can Do To Get There.” Available soon, I hope!
This one is going to be a little different, because I’m actually going to write it with a conservative economist and we are going to debate how to reconcile my liberal ideas (science is real) with his conservative ones (there shouldn’t be a minimum wage or federal government.)
Far leftists like the DSA (Democratic socialists) have made gains in recent elections. That’s all well and good in liberal bastions like New York, but I wondered how it was playing in Trump Country.
Many of the places I’ve stayed in Trump Country have had TWO locks on the door. What are they so afraid of?
Back on the road. Entering Wisconsin and thinking about framing in the Age of Trump.
Kind of funny: If you ask for coffee in Trump Country you get blank stares, but ask for a “cup of Joe” and their eyes light up!
Remember when Republicans used to care about the deficit?
“TGIF.” Back in NYC, it’s an ironic aside, if anything. But out here in Trump Country, it is everything. A catch phrase. A restaurant chain. A mantra. A lifeline. A way of being. A revelation.
End of Day Three and, to be honest, feeling daunted by all the differences between our Two Americas that I have witnessed.
As always, I find some comfort in the words of the great Reinhold Niebuhr.
As always, I find some comfort in the words of the great Reinhold Niebuhr.
Day Four, getting off to a bittersweet note: forgot I had tickets to see Hamilton again last night! 😫
On the up side, my editor went and recorded it all on his phone for me. Not as good as live, but could give me the chance to play it for a Trump Voter! Blessing in disguise?
On the up side, my editor went and recorded it all on his phone for me. Not as good as live, but could give me the chance to play it for a Trump Voter! Blessing in disguise?
Thinking about culture in Trump Country.
Now this is a new one, even for Trump Country: I asked to see the local paper and they directed me to this!
You know you’re outside your liberal bubble when you run into one of these!
People didn’t believe me when I said music in Trump Country was all either Christian or Country, so I did some investigating, and...
Are Trump voters to blame for their own frustration?
Observation: From what I’ve seen, Trump voters are constantly on the move, driving on the interstate. Those who aren’t seem to work in gas stations, motels and travel plazas/restaurants. It’s quite the life. Would love to read a book on this.
Day Five! Or is it five hundred...? Getting off to a shaky start today, tired and anxious. Woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat with the realization: there aren’t TWO Americas...but THREE!
Made this note and went back to sleep. Hoping to develop further.
Made this note and went back to sleep. Hoping to develop further.
Attention liberals: you may snicker at tweets like these, but out here in Trump Country, they’re gospel. I’ve already seen this one printed on t-shirts, quilts, pillows, etc...
Spent some time yesterday thinking about solutions. How do we reach people in Trump Country where they are?
Thinking about faith on a Sunday morning in Trump Country.
I actually like country music—classic country, the old stuff—but who is the “Hank” that country songs nowadays are always referring to? (I thought maybe GW Bush Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson?)
Strange flags in Fargo...
Fargo, North Dakota. Just another stop in Trump Country for most but for a cinephile like me there’s an added dimension.
Even after all this time, Trump Country continues to surprise me.
Not much to see in this part of Trump Country and that can get boring. But it’s also time to think, which, for a writer like me, is essential.
Hard to believe tomorrow will be my last day on this voyage through Trump Country. I’m daunted, and yet hopeful—the whole thing has been equal parts odyssey and trial, for me and for America. Which is also the name of the new book I just signed! Stay tuned!
Day Six. The home stretch. Headed through Montana, which I have really not been looking forward to. 😣
On the bright side, stayed in a nice hotel last night that was able to accommodate us with two queen beds (my wife had a headache and said she needed to sleep alone).
On the bright side, stayed in a nice hotel last night that was able to accommodate us with two queen beds (my wife had a headache and said she needed to sleep alone).
I know as a journalist I’m supposed to be unflappable, but this trip has really begun to weigh on me. Am I up to the challenge? Can I stand to see another monster truck parade? When will I find time to finish my 8 books? (Including “Nice Hemi: Speaking Trump in Trump Country”)
Oh wow. This is...wow. Had just finished breakfast at a local “diner” and was feeling so down on this whole project, when I discovered that someone had slipped this into my pocket. I’m speechless.
Oh wow, I didn’t even see the back.
Do you think this is unusual? Then you don’t live in Trump Country.
Something you aren’t gonna find in Trump Country: one of your big city “IPAs.” Sorry, hipsters.
Art in Trump Country often contains elements of the tragic—driven through with a fixation on things lost.
Sigh. Should say “riven through.” Thats my assistant Derreck’s fault; I send all my videos and tweets to him in NYC for fact checking and proofreading before posting. Not his first mistake. Thanks for understanding.
Montana, Trump Country, USA. Sigh.
So near the end. Has it all been for naught?
This is it. My journey of understanding and healing is at an end. But I feel more lost than ever.
After so many miles, I sit down with a member of Trump Country and try to get some answers.
After so many miles, I sit down with a member of Trump Country and try to get some answers.
My journey is over, but our work has just begun. Coming Spring of 2021!
