A little more than fringe. I would say 50% of Trumps support is generated by some level of xenophobia or racism, 50% by anger and frustration with the GOP.
The GOP establishment created and empowered the Trump political monster. Now, like Victor Frankenstein, they are powerless to contain him.
If you want to conflate xenophobia with sane border policy that's up to you. We can debate the distinction if you like. The actual really-real racism is on the fringe of the Trump coalition. If rank racism were the driver his numbers would be in the low single digits---hell, we wouldn't even be talking about him because he would have dropped out by now.
What fuels the Trump train is the prospect of jobs. When he says we are getting killed by China, Mexico and Japan he's right, and people are tuning in. And here's the danger for Hillary and her supporters.
They are forgetting what color they are when it happens because EVERYONE wants jobs back. Trump is not just a threat to the republican establishment; he's a clear and present danger to identity politics and the democrats would do well to take note of it.
Now, maybe he's a full of shit [I waver back and forth on that prospect] and he either can't bring jobs back and/or has no intention to. But the fact is Trump is only one who hasn't given up on it. We've been told for over a decade, in subtle ways, that chronic joblessness is the new normal and we might as well accept it because of trade policy and the global economy.
It's the jobs, stupid. If you want to understand the impetus behind Trumps success with immigration, view it through the lens of jobs and all the money that is drained out of our economy and sent back to Mexico. If you view it through a racialist lens, you're going to miss it.
And if the national democrats do that, they risk getting burnt. I won't rule out a landslide.
