Heartland Values It has been said that Donald Trump followed the advice of strategists in 2016 in basing the campaign on heartland values, then visiting Michigan, Wisconsin, and other states Hillary avoided. Hillary did not resonate, there. Barack talks a good game in that area; but voters consider him an actor at best, a dangerous and committed subversive at worst. This is not to underestimate the success of the left in undermining traditional American values outside the big D strongholds, mainly through media, the schools, and assaults on religion, but the traditional values still hold.