Donald Trump has pulled off a great trick on his supporters that accounts for their loyalty. Masses of less educated American workers have been sidelined or ignored for many years. Trump has made common cause with them. He has made their enemies, his enemies; he has made their angers, his angers; and he has made his image of America’s greatness their chance to be great again. Trump has asked them for unity in simple terms: his refrain in every speech, “Believe me.”

Trump has created a sense of us against politics-as-usual. He has made it OK to openly hate your enemies.  He has demonstrated an outrageous power that thrills his supporters. He has managed to hide the fact that he is not for them at all. Rather, he is promoting himself.

My advice to Democratic candidates for the presidency is to get over egoism. They need to decide, with others running, who are the two or three candidates most likely to win. Then support a favorite in the primaries.

Candidates should stop telling voters about personal uniqueness for the job. Every candidate has both strengths and weaknesses. In this era of Trump, policies are central but removing him from the presidency is crucial.

Hubert Kauffman, Oxford