Bulwark founder Sarah Longwell hosts frequent surveys with Trump supporters. And her latest foray reveals Trump’s fans have had it with the president’s failure to deliver on promises, however, and they may sit home in a huff as Republicans tumble in November.
Read more Republicans are weaponizing a backlash against marriage equality
“My brain is literally spinning with so much,” reports one Trump voting woman. “I think that he sold us a bag of — I’m not going to curse, but I do not like the way things are going, even with ICE. And border control for me was a very big thing. That was one of my biggest concerns with this election was cleaning up the country and getting these dangerous illegals out. But I don’t like how innocent people, professionals have been incarcerated or taken.”
Many others evinced outward fury at Trump’s lies about his plan to improve the U.S. economy and U.S. households.
“I don’t think he’s helping the people that need help right now. He’s helping his friends, the rich ones,” said another woman.
“Unless you are a millionaire, regular everyday things that used to be very common are near impossible to do, whether it be outings or just going to get something to eat,” complained another Trump voting woman. “I grocery shop every week so like I know when thing when prices are going down and up — and I’m, like, he’s lying. Nothing is okay. … I’ve never paid $9 for ground beef before, ever, not even the good kind. That is really, really crazy and getting very scary.”
“I really thought it was going to be about us here at home,” the woman added. “He made me feel like he empathized with the plight of what was going on with Americans and middle class and like below, but it just kind of feels like [he’s] been involved in other countries and big corporations and all that since the beginning and not really focusing on us here at home and like real everyday issues.”
“Inflation’s high … but he was supposed to help bring it down,” complained one Trump-voting man in the survey. “I think it’s worse now than it was when Biden was president, with the gas going up real high and stuff. plus they talked about maybe giving a stimulus payment to help with inflation and I don’t think that’s ever even going to happen.”
Read more Inside the far-right’s secret for winning over working class Americans
“[W]hy is [gas] so expensive in the U.S. if we’re not dependent upon the oil from Iran even though the other countries,” complained still another Trump voting woman, apparently infuriated that Trump failed to insulate her against the skyrocketing prices he caused in other nations with his war in Iran. “… BP and all these big corporations are just selling it over there because of course they can make gazillions of dollars over there selling it instead of keeping prices low for the American people. And I think that really shows what’s really happening here.”
“It’s these big corporations and things are benefiting and we’re suffering because of it,” the voter raged, while assuring that she’s “all for capitalism. I don’t want communism and socialism. I don’t want what the left wants. I don’t want what the Democrats want.”
And “these are not the swing voters,” Longwell reminded podcast guest speaker Amy Walter, editor-in-chief of The Cook Political Report. “These are just Trump voters.”
Walter predicted the sentiment was going to hit Republicans hard in November and give Democrats and advantage they would not normally enjoy, even for a midterm.
“The MAGA base is 100 percent with him and they will always be with him,” said Walter. “But it’s the other people who voted for Donald Trump who did not wear a MAGA hat, who didn’t show up at rallies, but also didn’t want to vote for Kamala Harris, who don’t want to vote for Democrats right now, but they also don’t see much of a reason why they should show up this year?”
Walter predicted roughly 60 percent of the Republican base is MAGA, and that the remaining 40 percent was setting the GOP up for doom. “If 40 percent of your base is saying, ‘eh, you know, you didn’t really deliver on the things I thought you were going to deliver on, and yeah I still think Democrats are crazy and socialists and all of that but I’m gonna sit this one out’ … it puts a lot of what should be traditionally safe Republican seats in play.”
Read more Trump’s gruesome specter may save the Dems’ bacon in contentious election
