The reason Pat won't answer, I think, is he knows that supporting Trump is a hideous thing to do, but having spent time the last couple years chatting with Trump supporters I think I understand why they continue back him even though they know it is wrong.

The media tends to present the idea that these people back Trump because they are "brainwashed" or conned into actually believing Trump is some sort of "great guy" and that he is doing all these "great things" that are supposedly benefiting his supporters. Plus Trump works as some sort of "expression of their rage" and this is why Trump's crazy rage filled outbursts are not seen for what they are...idiotic and dangerous...but rather as him giving them a voice. 

So, if you ask Trump supporters how they can support a man that is dishonest, morally and ethically bankrupt and takes positions and makes statements that back this idea up, well, they don't care about morals or ethics nor honesty. They have basically stopped believing in any of these things. 

They have one simple reason for this...

They believe that NOBODY in government is honest, moral, nor ethical. They don't think anything about government is moral, ethical, or honest. So, supporting someone that is any of these things is not important to them. They are supporting Trump not because of who he is...they are just supporting him based on what he does. And what they want him to do is to act furious, call people names, and create havoc. They are 100% behind that. 

So, as long as he rants about walls, calls people from other countries horrible things, makes crazy statements about people they don't like (mostly Democrats), and says all manner of nonsense and lies directed at anybody but them, and the economy seems OK...well...then he is exactly the president they want.

They don't care if he wants to work with Russians, Ukrainians, or the Chinese to smear his opponents. He can break any law he wants, tell any lie he wants, do whatever he wants, as long as he keeps generating rage. This is all they want and pretty much the most they feel they will ever get from government. 

If Trump declares himself Emperor for life...well...they would be fine with that. These people no longer care about government, nor laws, nor democracy. These things are not important to them anymore.

If you ask them if they feel that supporting a man that lies constantly, is immoral, will harm people intentionally including children, has no ethics nor belief in doing anything except what benefits him...if supporting this is throwing their own ethics and morality out the window, they just say no they don't because it is just Trump doing those things...they feel they have no part in that even though they voted him into office. 

And when you say "Really?" they just say "all politicians would do the same thing, Trump just does not try to hide it."

Now, Pat has never made these statements here but my guess would be as I sat a table in Florida having this conversation with Trump voters were he there he would have just said the same things. 

This is the bottom line to them. They feel no responsibility for what Trump does and they think anybody else would just do the same things he does. 

You and I and obviously others here all feel there are consequences to our actions. This is in part why I could never support the Clintons. But the sense I get and the answers I got from Trump supporters when I spoke to them was only Trump himself is responsible for what he does...and if he gets away with it "So what?" does not matter to them. 

They don't care what Trump does. Trump was correct when he said he could shoot somebody on 5th Avenue and these people would still support him. They are not the ones shooting a guy on 5th Avenue and they likely would not do that themselves but if Trump did it? They don't care that would be Trump's problem, not theirs. Nor would they feel responsible if he suddenly worked out a way to execute Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, or anybody that speaks up against him. They would say, well, I didn't execute those people, Trump did, not my fault...and go back to their cheeseburger. 

And that, in a nutshell, is the mindset of many Trump supporters.