--- title: Nearly 20% of Trump Fans Think Freeing Slaves Was a Bad Idea description: Donald Trump has high levels of support among the nation's intolerant population, after a New York Times deep dive into polling data canonical: https://time.com/4236640/donald-trump-racist-supporters/ author: Daniel White article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-24T23:27:42.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:41:16.659Z article:section: Politics og:title: Nearly 20% of Trump Fans Think Freeing the Slaves Was a Bad Idea og:description: Nearly one in five don't support the Emancipation Proclamation og:url: https://time.com/4236640/donald-trump-racist-supporters/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1b8fe21eea40abd6/69887edee20a871a55a8fafe/donald-trump-caucus.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2268 og:image:height: 1276 og:image:alt: APTOPIX GOP 2016 Trump og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Nearly 20% of Trump Fans Think Freeing the Slaves Was a Bad Idea twitter:description: Nearly one in five don't support the Emancipation Proclamation twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1b8fe21eea40abd6/69887edee20a871a55a8fafe/donald-trump-caucus.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Nearly 20% of Trump Fans Think Freeing the Slaves Was a Bad Idea > 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=4499633f-6295-48e6-a5dc-69c7b8067e11&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 [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Feb 24, 2016 11:27 PM UTC by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Feb 24, 2016 11:27 PM UTC Donald Trump appears to have [high levels of support among the nation’s intolerant population](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/25/upshot/measuring-donald-trumps-supporters-for-intolerance.html?smid=tw-share&%5Fr=0), according to a New York _Times_ deep dive into polling data. The Times found that nearly 20% of Trump supporters did not approve of freeing the slaves, according to a January YouGov/Economist poll that asked respondents if they supported or disapproved of “the executive order that freed all slaves in the states that were in rebellion against the federal government”—Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Trump himself [has never advocated for white supremacy, but some of his followers may](http://time.com/4144411/donald-trump-white-supremacists/). He has, however, called for a moratorium on Muslims entering the United States and called Mexican migrants “rapists.” Exit polls from the Republican South Carolina primary reveal that 74% of voters in the state favored the Muslim ban—Trump won 41% of that group, according to the _Times_, which described Trump supporters as a “coalition of voters on people who are responsive to religious, social and racial intolerance.” Trump, a billionaire outsider, has talked his way to being the [front-runner in the 2016 GOP race](http://time.com/4236147/donald-trump-establishment-candidate/), causing much of the Republican establishment to scramble in an attempt to find a suitable candidate to beat him. This remains to be seen as Trump won the Nevada caucuses Tuesday by a wide margin, beating Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz by more than 20 points. ## 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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