--- title: Donald Trump: Iowa Supporters on Being the Silent Majority description: "We need somebody to stand up and be the Superman of the United States." canonical: https://time.com/4201794/donald-trump-silent-majority/ author: Francesca Trianni article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-01T17:50:33.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:40:59.606Z article:section: Politics og:title: Watch Trump Voters Talk About Being the 'Silent Majority' og:description: "We need somebody to stand up and be the Superman of the United States." og:url: https://time.com/4201794/donald-trump-silent-majority/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt79f76796dad6d423/69887b82f887dca5f0e94662/img_5576.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2588 og:image:height: 1456 og:image:alt: Processed with VSCOcam with g3 preset og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch Trump Voters Talk About Being the 'Silent Majority' twitter:description: "We need somebody to stand up and be the Superman of the United States." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt79f76796dad6d423/69887b82f887dca5f0e94662/img_5576.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Watch Donald Trump Supporters Explain His Appeal > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=c969d71f-d6a4-4186-8e0a-6a7eb03b6719&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Trump Supporters In Iowa Weigh In On the Silent Majority [Watch (HLS stream): Trump Supporters In Iowa Weigh In On the Silent Majority](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/QMDtVyRi.m3u8) (1:13)  _Published 2016-02-01_  by [Francesca Trianni](https://time.com/author/francesca-trianni/)  ## Francesca Trianni Feb 1, 2016 5:50 PM UTC  by [Francesca Trianni](https://time.com/author/francesca-trianni/)  ## Francesca Trianni Feb 1, 2016 5:50 PM UTC Hundreds of people lined up for hours in the cold for an opportunity to listen to Donald Trump speak in Des Moines, Iowa, just days before the caucuses. For many, it wasn’t their first time listening to the New York billionaire speak. “We need somebody to stand up and be the Superman of the United States,” said Mike Duff, 42, a registered Republican who plans on caucusing for Trump this Monday. This would be his fourth time attending a Trump rally. In the final Iowa poll released before the caucuses, Trump [surged](http://time.com/4201333/iowa-poll-donald-trump-hillary-clinton/) ahead of Cruz. ## Transcript [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Buy the hat, buy the t- shirt you all. Anybody need one? He appears larger than life almost. He not only is physically a large man, but he's just Projects that and I think that is what this country needs. We're in a disaster. Our country is falling apart. We need somebody to stand up and be the Superman. [ APPLAUSE ] Of the United States again. It's a term that I haven't heard for years. But I really think it applies now more than maybe ever before. And that's the term, the silent majority. Have you all heard that? [ APPLAUSE ] The silent majority is the people who say, what is the point? They feel like, what is their voice going to do? What they didn't realize until now, the silent majority is the majority. It's the majority of the people. I've got a sign hanging in my office now that says the silent majority. [ LAUGH ] People are really Getting behind Trump just because he's a name that people know. 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