Towards the end of this Sunday’s second presidential debate, an undecided voter in a red sweater captured the attention of the Internet with his straightforward question regarding energy policies, one of the rare clear-headed moments in the debate. His name is Kenneth Bone, and in the past week he has been plastered all over mainstream media, including the Washington Post, CNN and The New York Times.

Bone’s moment in the debate has launched him into the position of a living, breathing meme. As reporters flocked to him, Bone’s actual opinions on the election came to light. The voter, in a conversation with the Washington Post, said that he had entered the second debate leaning towards voting for Donald Trump. He explained that Trump’s economic proposals better represented his interests, and would likely do more to protect jobs of workers like him than  Hillary Clinton’s.

Bone represents a majority of Trump’s voter base, a constituency that is more focused on their economic security and day-to-day jobs, which they feel will be more protected under Trump than they would be under Clinton. Does valuing stability in their lives make them, as Clinton and many of her supporters claim, deplorable? Clinton’s supporters wrongly think that every person voting for the GOP nominee is sexist or xenophobic. Even if this is not the case, however, critics of Trump hold hatred for the voters who look past the horrible things the man has said and vote for him purely based on economic policy. But nobody should demonize Trump supporters for placing higher value on policies that affect their day-to-day lives than in policies that will never affect them.

Earlier this week, the Huffington Post published an opinion claiming that voters who continue to back Trump deserve the deplorable label, one that Hillary Clinton walked back on after her initial statement. It’s easy, especially in exceptionally liberal college environments, to be caught up in an insular bubble. But not every potential voter is thinking about the same implications of this election. The political traits and issues valued by students on campuses like NYU are not necessarily as important to the average American voter.

Ken Bone said that Donald Trump would do the most to protect his job in the fossil fuel industry. Judging by his debate question, he understands the harmful impact of his work, but his responsibility to support a family understandably comes first. It is, after all, a bit late to switch careers now. Ken Bone may be the most average American in America, and while he may not represent a liberal and urban constituency like New York, polls suggest that a great deal of voters empathize with him. To vote for your own interests shouldn’t automatically make you an awful person, even if that puts you with Trump.

Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them.

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, October 17th print edition. Email Patrick Seaman at [email protected].