TRANSFORMED ARTICLE
HEY THERE!
Trump Supporters Voice Opinions on the Policies Implemented During His Initial 100 Days in Office
This week marked our favorite reality TV star's first 100 days back in the White House, and let's just say, reactions have been mixed. According to a recent poll by NPR, PBS News, and Marist, only 45% of Americans have given ol' Donnie a passing grade. That's right, almost half of the nation's voters are giving him a big ol' F! But we wanted to hear what some folks who voted for him had to say, so we reached out to voters in multiple states. Let's dive in, shall we?
ROARING FOR TRUMP IN RURAL MO
Missouri, that beautiful red state, went full Trump in 2024, with over 58% of the vote. And many folks like Bryant Kagay are thrilled about it. Now, Bryant doesn't consider himself a card-carrying Republican or Democrat, and he can't stand the Dems on social, fiscal, and environmental issues. But he wasn't real convinced about either candidate in the end. Still, he chose Trump.
But things haven't been all peaches and cream for Bryant, especially when it comes to those tariffs. See, Bryant is a fourth-generation farmer and part owner of a farm that grows beef, corn, soybeans, and wheat. While the tariffs haven't affected him directly yet, he reckons they're going to jack up the price of fertilizers, equipment, and chemicals soon. He basically sees it as the government sticking its nose where it doesn't belong.
Despite some reservations, Bryant still thinks there might be a silver lining. He hopes the backlash over the tariffs will bring Republicans back to their free-market roots. According to Bryant, "You don't want me growing your carrots or your avocados because I'm not in the right spot, I don't know how to do it, I don't have any markets for it. Let somebody else grow the avocados. Let somebody else, you know, manufacture steel. Let somebody else manufacture microchips. Let us do what we do best and let us have open markets that help facilitate me selling the product that I'm best at producing." Sounds fair, right?
CO TRUMP VOTERS STILL HAPPY WITH FIRST 100
Moving on to Colorado, we've got Susan Virginia, who is registered unaffiliated but supported Trump, certainly in the past three elections. She's especially pleased with his administration's go-getter attitude and the informal Department of Government Efficiency. She digs the idea of cutting the budget and reducing waste. In her words, "If you were going to be bankrupt, you would do everything you could to cut the budget. We got to cut the budget. We got to stop paying for things that shouldn't be paid for."
Susan has mixed feelings about the tariffs, though. She's all for them, but she's not confident that they're popular. Her suggestion? Lower taxes to balance things out. She thinks lower taxes would help offset the potential impact of tariffs on consumers. Not a bad idea, right?
Susan's husband, Frank, is a registered Republican who also voted for Trump. He's currently more concerned about the disruptions to the markets caused by the tariffs. As a retired couple, their financial situation ebbs and flows with the success of the stock market. But he's sticking with Trump, hoping things will even out soon.
MILWAUKEE'S TRUMP VOTERS KEEP THE FAITH
In Milwaukee, Rebecca Smith, a kindergarten teacher, voted for Trump in all three elections and mostly approves of his economic policies and his aggressive approach to immigration. She's a fan of stronger border security and thinks it's crucial to vet people before they enter the country. She even acknowledges that the deportations and immigration crackdowns could be seen as cruel, but she feels that having an open border in the past has caused problems.
Rebecca is concerned about programs like Head Start, which aids low-income kids in preparing for school, as she fears the White House might try to eliminate funding for the program altogether. Still, she remains optimistic that Trump's administration will focus on improving the efficiency of the legal immigration process.
In conclusion, Trump voters in rural areas are generally supportive of his immigration and tariff policies, even as they may experience economic challenges resulting from them. Urban areas like Milwaukee tend to have lower levels of support for Trump’s policies overall. Economically, concerns are rising, but rural Trump voters are more likely to link these issues to broader economic trends rather than the policies themselves.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
- Bryant Kagay, a fourth-generation farmer in Missouri, supports Trump's administration, but he expresses reservations about the tariffs, fearing they might increase the cost of fertilizers, equipment, and chemicals.
- Susan Virginia, a Coloradan who voted for Trump, applauds his administration's efforts to cut the budget and reduce waste, but she also advocates for lower taxes to counteract potential negative impacts of tariffs on consumers.
- Rebecca Smith, a Milwaukee kindergarten teacher, approves of Trump's immigration policies, but she worries about potential cuts to programs like Head Start that aid low-income children.
- Migration, tariffs, and head start are all interrelated concerns for Trump voters in different parts of the country, as they navigate the economic impacts of tariffs and the administration's policies.
- Politics, specifically immigration and tariffs, continue to dominate the news, with reactions ranging from support to criticism among different demographics.
- Crimes related to accidents, fires, or other incidents are often reported in the general news section along with political developments, economic updates, and other significant events.
