Follow-up interviews with President Donald Trump’s supporters indicate that some of his backers have become unhappy with his administration. They struggle with daily expenses and question how the White House handles immigration and the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Sarah Longwell, publisher of Bulwark, discussed these voter interviews on a Saturday episode of The Focus Group with Democratic pollster Margie Omero. She mentioned that the discontent does not focus on just one issue. “Inflation, immigration, and Epstein are all in the mix, but there’s a giant mosaic of disappointments,” Longwell said.
One former Trump voter in the episode described basic groceries as unaffordable. “I would like to know when the last time anybody in Congress or anyone in that realm bought a loaf of bread,” the voter said. “They all talk about the economy getting better, but even just a loaf of bread isn’t affordable anymore.”
Another voter noted the increasing need at food pantries. “I see more people coming through the pantry lines than ever before, and every month it’s new people, so it just tells me that there’s greater need,” the voter said, according to the report. This voter added, “The economy is not good. The job market’s not good. The cost of living is sky high. It’s really hard to make ends meet for people, and that just kind of overshadows everything else. You couple that with healthcare costs and insurance costs, and people just can’t get ahead.”
A third supporter mentioned that Trump changed course on his campaign promises. “They were his go-to’s, and he’s changed up. Now it’s getting worse by the day, honestly,” the voter said.
Another voter criticized Trump’s attitude towards those who disagree with him. “It’s probably the worst of any of our presidents we’ve dealt with,” the voter said, according to the report. “I feel like the longer he’s in office, the more we’re going to plummet to not being a good community or quality country at all.”
Longwell told Omero that some voters seemed willing to overlook Trump’s behavior when they felt financially secure. However, they grew more critical when their situations worsened. “It seems that when people like the economy, which they did in Trump’s first term, they’re willing to forgive a lot of Trump’s bad behavior,” Longwell said, as quoted in the report. “But when it’s going poorly, whatever else irritates them about Trump becomes a lot more irritating.”
Omero agreed, noting that voters often become more supportive when they have “money in their pocket,” according to the report.
The report mentioned that anger also emerged over what some voters perceived as secrecy surrounding federal investigation files related to Epstein. It described one supporter who accidentally referred to the Epstein files as the “Trump files” and others who believed something was still hidden.
One voter recalled Trump’s campaign promises of transparency and described frustration with what they viewed as a shift after he returned to power. “You’re going to get the facts, he said,” the voter told the podcast, mentioning Trump’s promise to release other historic files. “And then now that he’s involved, or I don’t know what it is that they’re trying to hide, but it’s like, ‘okay, no, no, no. No more truth,’” the voter said.
“Betrayal is starting to take root,” Longwell said, as quoted in the report, reflecting what she heard from some voters.
