Why On Earth Would Anyone Vote For Trump?

I'm still trying to understand Trump's appeal.  I mean, I guess for some people it's "Yeah, he's as big an asshole as I am!  We have so much in common!  I'm a racist scam artist too!"

I hear from seemingly-rational Republicans that the main draw is anger about the economy.  But "I'm angry that I lost my job, therefore I'm going to elect a lying bigot"?  The trade-off doesn't seem good to me.  Besides, it's not like Trump will be good for the economy.  Has being bigoted been good economically for Indiana?  How about what is going on in North Carolina right now?  Businesses know that looking racist or homophobic is not good for the bottom line.   Building walls and putting up trade barriers are two more iffy economic ideas- generally, isolationism and protectionism are not good for the economy.  And in terms of his personal experience... Well, he has made a lot of money.  But then he started off with a lot, and has under-performed the stock market, so maybe he is not all that great a moneymaker.  Plus he has bankrupted dozens of his own companies, and thousands of people.  I don't think of him as a good businessman; I think of him as a scam artist who started off rich and has gotten a little richer.

Why do I keep harping on Trump?  Why is it so important to me to have decent people running the country?  Well, I'm about to be a dad, and I want the country to be a better place.  I see a lot of nasty shit going on in the world.  I want my country to live up to its ideals, to be tolerant, to work for a brighter future.  I want to be optimistic.  Sometimes that means calling out the assholes, and working to make the world a better place by opposing those who would tear people down.  We can't ignore the bad; we have to deal with it.  That's been my philosophy anyway, but now I have someone to make the world better for.