A team of political scientists at the University of California, Riverside, has now found solid support for this theory.

"The emboldening effect of an elite like Donald Trump is most pronounced in a context where citizens are given signals that the political system tolerates prejudice by allowing candidates who engage in prejudiced speech to continue their campaigns without sanction," the authors wrote in a paper published in the British Journal of Political Science. 

"Last, we find that condemnation by other elites does little to suppress prejudice once it is activated".

The findings suggest that Trump''s inflammatory remarks on the campaign trail emboldened particular members of the American public, giving them license to express deeply held prejudices.

The study''s co-authors include Sono Shah, a doctoral candidate in political science and Karthick Ramakrishnan, a professor of public policy and political science.

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