While Ronald Reagan gave his PBP supporters tangible benefits in the form of huge, regressive tax cuts, by any objective standard, he didn’t do much for his Reactionary constituents. He wasn’t even a consistent churchgoer. No matter. By his clever use of language, they knew that he shared their vision for the country, and they loved him for it. They still do.
With the partial exception of the Gorsuch nomination (even a CD like Bush might have nominated him), it would appear that Trump is largely headed down the same road: tax cuts and deregulation for wealthy businessmen, and shiny objects for Reactionaries. His rejection of the Paris Agreement is a classic example of a shiny object. It proves that Trump is on their side without bringing them any meaningful economic benefits.
The problem is that this particular shiny object comes with a very high price: diplomatic isolation and the vast potential political and economic implications of climate change. By any reasonable analysis, it wasn’t worth it.