His followers may be misguided, and Trump is all too ready to offer them scapegoats, but they instinctively sense that there is something deeply wrong with the status quo.
And without some redistribution, America's growing army of low-wage workers may fall prey to demagogues on the right or left who offer convenient scapegoats for their frustrations.
Republicans under Mr. Trump, on the other hand, he said, "fan the flames of fear and offer a scapegoat" for the country's problems: notably, those different from themselves.
Because the government in Damascus is diplomatically isolated, and squeezed militarily between Israel and America's forces in Iraq, Mr Assad may find it wise to offer a scapegoat to the investigators.
While Trump offered immigrants as the scapegoats and trade as the devil, he offered little on policy other than the fact that he was the "only person" who could fix these problems.
Where solutions are needed, scapegoats are offered.
We have been offered a couple of scapegoats to distract from the fact that the government has backed away from proper regulation of the banks, tougher rules to stop a cosy mutual remuneration club operating among top executives, and action to narrow the pay gap.
The document stated that only one current manager had become aware of the facts after the event, and that no other miscreants were expected to be identified.The implication of the prospectus is that Crédit Lyonnais was content to offer a single scapegoat for its wrongdoings.
And we have also offered an easy scapegoating platform for those who are non-Roma and whose economic situation hasn't changed or even gotten worse".
Commentary published by the Costa Rican Times alleged that the true culprits would never be found, saying whoever was blamed would be a scapegoat offered up by the drug traffickers.
