‘You have to sacrifice’: Trump voters stay loyal as US midterms approach

Rising economic pain confronting US voters has not translated into a loss of faith among Donald Trump’s most loyal supporters.

The support of 'Make America Great Again' (MAGA) voters for US President Donald Trump has not wavered even as their lives have gotten more expensive [File: Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo]

McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania, USA – Calvin Ott, the owner of a landscaping business in a consistent stronghold for United States President Donald Trump, is one of several so-called “MAGA voters” whose support has not wavered – even as life has gotten a lot more expensive since the president returned to office last year.

“I’m 75 years old, and I’m still working,” Ott says as he sips his Coors Light beer under the dim lights of Fulton Pub in McConnellsburg.

list 1 of 3 US consumer confidence hits its lowest level since 2014 ahead of midterms

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list 3 of 3 Trump blames Democrats and Ukraine for soaring US fuel prices, not Iran war

The pub, which serves as a watering hole for the town’s approximately 1,000 residents, is where Ott unwinds after his doctor’s appointment before making the one-hour drive back through the Appalachian Mountains to his home in Shippensburg.

“I had quadruple bypasses. I’ve had skin cancer. I have my fingers cut off. I’ve had several heart issues”, Ott said with a bit of pride, showing off his right hand that has fallen victim to decades of chainsaw and lawnmower accidents.

Despite rising medical costs – his medications have more than doubled in price since last year – and his inability to retire as he approaches his 80s, the three-time Trump voter said he will continue to vote for Republicans in next month’s US midterm elections.

“I support him 100 percent,” Ott told Al Jazeera as Foreigner’s song Urgent played in the background of the pub.

In 2016, less than 6,000 people in Fulton County, where the town is located, supported Trump’s presidential campaign. That number rose to more than 7,000 eight years later, helping to fuel Trump’s return to the White House.

For Ott, his support is less a reflection of what Trump has done than what Democrats would do if they were in power.

“He’s the only president that made a promise that he kept,” Ott said. “He hates wars, even though we’re in one. But he’s for America.”

“What the hell did Biden ever give out?” he railed about the economic policies of Trump’s Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, which included a $1,400 stimulus cheque to Americans through legislation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Who deserves the blame?

The unrelenting support for Trump among his most loyal supporters runs through Republican strongholds like McConnellsburg.

MAGA voters like Ott make up the backbone of the president’s support: working-class, white, without college degrees, and angry with Washington.

A poll conducted last month by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that just 17 percent of US adults approve of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, while slightly more than a quarter of those surveyed approve of his handling of the economy overall.

President Donald Trump’s most fervent supporters do not blame him for their economic woes [File: Alex Brandon/AP Photo]

Trump’s most fervent supporters say their frustrations – and economic burden – have only grown since Trump’s re-election. But unlike most Americans, they don’t blame the president for the country’s economic woes. Instead, they point to Biden, who left office last year in January.

Seated at the bar next to Ott is Rebecca Lashley, a retired nursing assistant who said Trump deserves the benefit of the doubt after Biden’s policies.

“It took Biden four years of screwing up. How’s [Trump] gonna fix it in two years?” Lashley asked.

“Do you realise what Biden left that man? He left that man a hell of a big plate”, he said.

It’s a familiar line frequently touted by the White House.

Since his return to power for a second presidential term in 2025, Trump and members of his administration have regularly claimed they aren’t to blame for the nation’s cost-of-living issues. In social media posts last month, the president wrote that “price increases throughout America were caused by Sleepy Joe Biden and the Biden Administration, not by ‘TRUMP.’”

“We’re coming out of years of energy subtraction,” US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a recent Fox News interview as he blamed the Biden administration for rising fuel prices.

Five hours south of Pennsylvania, in ruby red Amelia County, Virginia, Terry Williams largely agreed with Trump.

After cooking up a Sunday breakfast, the delivery driver sank deep into his well-worn, waterfall-back couch to prepare for a full afternoon of football viewing. But before the day’s first kickoff, he issued a blunt, expletive-laden rant about a “bullshit” economy that larger “deep state” forces were preventing the president from fixing.

“I think that Trump just [blames Biden] because he just can’t come out and tell people the truth,” the self-described “Trump-lican” said as smells of bacon grease emanated from his kitchen. “The reason why I say that is the Federal Reserve. Their answer to everything is to print money.”

“The Federal Reserve Bank, the stockholders of the Federal Reserve, whoever the hell these people are, they’re creating more currency because they don’t have no choice.”

Williams, who voiced support for Trump’s second-term pressure tactics on the Fed to lower interest rates, said policies created by the US central bank have left the country with currency that has no real intrinsic value.

“I just believe that this economy is an illusion and we’re using fake money,” he said.

‘I have to sacrifice’

After Trump campaigned on a promise to bring down stubborn inflation wrought by the pandemic, his second term has consisted of a range of broadly unpopular initiatives that have forced higher prices on much of the country.

His tariff policies, instituted during a “Liberation Day” event at the White House last year, have minimal support. The AP found that nearly 65 percent of Americans blame Trump’s policies for high costs.

The nonpartisan Tax Foundation estimates tariffs put in place under Trump resulted in an average tax increase of more than $1,000 for US households last year. After the US Supreme Court rendered most of the president’s tariffs illegal in January, that estimate is slightly lower at $820 for 2026.

The policy’s impact is felt even more acutely in Virginia, which, according to the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, has paid an estimated $6.2bn extra since Trump’s tariffs were implemented. That breaks down to just under $1,800 per family.

But some of the state’s MAGA voters, like Williams, say despite the extra cost, they “believe” in Trump’s tariff policy, arguing it should be expanded.

“I love the thought of a tariff system. That way, the American people do not get taxed,” Williams said. “I love that concept.”

But it is the war in Iran that could prove to be the most consequential for Trump and Republicans when Americans make their midterm picks.

As the conflict stretches into its eighth month, just 27 percent of registered US voters said last month that they approve of it, according to a New York Times/Siena poll. That number, however, is much higher among Trump’s most loyal supporters: 65 percent.

“If it needs to happen to save our republic, absolutely,” Williams said of Trump’s war on Iran. But he expressed unease at increasing petrol prices wrought by the president’s war.

Since the first US-Israeli attack on Iran was launched in late February, fuel prices in the US have skyrocketed. The national average for regular petrol is $4.29 a gallon (3.8 litres), up more than $1.30 from last September, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

Trump has begun to acknowledge the war — and its resulting economic impacts — could cost his party control of Congress.

“Well, it’s possible,” Trump told reporters earlier this month. “Because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. So when you say, ‘Is it OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon?’, I would say 100 percent of the people say ‘no’, including worldwide. So, when you say it that way, it would help. If you don’t say that, it could hurt.”

Petrol prices are seen in Alhambra, California, the United States [File: Frederic J Brown/AFP]

For the sake of US security, most MAGA voters say they’re willing to bear the cost of Trump’s Iran decision — and America, they believe, should, too.

“What would happen if he wouldn’t have done that? What would happen? Nothing good,” Lashley said. “We have to sacrifice to make things better. I don’t care who you are. We’re with him to make that sacrifice.”

Ott explained how the war’s higher fuel prices have forced changes to his landscaping business. He’s had to tack a fuel surcharge onto his customers’ bills and lay off more than a dozen employees.

“I don’t have a problem with it,” Ott said about the war. “I have a business, and I have to sacrifice.”

President Trump has repeatedly promised that Americans will eventually reap the rewards of his policies.

After launching what turned out to be a trade war with US allies, Trump last year promised to use tariff revenue to give Americans what he described as a $2,000 “dividend” payment.

“People that are against Tariffs are FOOLS!” Trump posted to his Truth Social account on November 9, before adding, “A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone.”

The Trump administration had refunded more than $100bn as of late August following the Supreme Court ruling. But that money went to businesses, not directly to ordinary Americans.

In the lead-up to the midterms, Trump has made promises of more cash payments. During his speech at the Republican National Committee midterm convention in September, the US president said US adults would receive a $5,000 “Trump dividend” if his party “wins” next month’s elections.

Most Americans say US President Donald Trump’s economic policies have burdened them [File: Kent Nishimura/AFP]

Polling indicates that proposal has backfired, with 45 percent of unaffiliated voters telling NBC News they would be less likely to support a candidate who’s in agreement with it.

But it plays well — extremely well, even — with Trump’s base, whose members believe they’re entitled to a form of compensation from the government.

“I think it’s great if the president can help all people that need it,” Lashley said. “I mean, we got the money. We all contributed in our life to our country.”

“I paid tax all my life. I deserve something back”, Ott said. “They never give me nothing.”

Lashley stood up and replied, “That’s right!”

‘They’re taking everything’

Most Americans say Trump’s economic policies have burdened, rather than benefitted, them.

About seven in 10 Americans, including more than half of Republicans, believe his handling of the cost of living has been “worse than expected”, according to the AP poll.

But MAGA voters say they are sticking firmly with the president, even as his economic agenda faces growing criticism across the country.

To understand why his most hardcore supporters remain loyal, it is important to understand how Trump built his political coalition in the first place.

A study by New America found that Trump’s coalition has been closely bound and heavily driven by resentment towards opposing cultural and political groups. Lashley reflected that sentiment when she blamed immigrants for the country’s cost-of-living crisis.

“They’re taking over the businesses in our country. They’re taking everything,” she said. “I’m not on board with giving people who come here more than what we get. No!”

Lashley went even further, saying she wished Trump could remain president for the rest of his life.

“I wish he could be our president until he died,” she said. “What is going to happen when he’s gone? That’s what really worries me.”

“I trust Trump with my life,” Ott said.

Rising prices alone have not been enough to sever the bond between Trump and some of his most loyal voters.

For many of them, the choice is not simply between an expensive economy and a cheaper one. It is about what – and who – might come after Trump.

“I’m afraid that somebody’s going to get in there that’s not gonna do the job, and then we’re gonna go downhill again,” Ott said. “I worry about the Democrats”.

“Me too. They’re crazy,” Lashley replied.

“What they’re gonna do to this country. We’re gonna be suffering,” Ott said. “We might as well be living in South Africa or somewhere like that.”

That loyalty could prove important in November.

In this year’s Republican primaries, Trump has demonstrated that the GOP primary electorate will follow his lead. A string of victories by candidates he endorsed in the US states of Indiana, Kentucky and Texas has further solidified his grip on the party.

While the president’s political instinct for activating his loyal, but often low-propensity, voters in critical elections has generally been effective, it is less clear whether they can hold back a rising wave of Democratic support.

Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate in the Democratic primary for US Senate in Michigan, speaks during a campaign rally in Detroit, Michigan, the US [File: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo]

Progressive and liberal-leaning candidates have coalesced around a message of affordability and lower prices – an approach that has resonated with voters who feel increasingly squeezed by Trump’s policies.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in August showed that US voters gave Democrats a 36 to 28 percent advantage over Republicans on cost-of-living issues.

While Lashley acknowledged that the issue resonated with her, she said there were no circumstances in which she would consider voting against the president.

More than 70 percent of US voters who identify with MAGA indicated in a September PBS News/NPR/Marist poll that they were voting in this election to support Trump.

For Williams, who said he plans to vote a straight Republican ticket in November, the economy is not his priority. The choice, he said, boils down to a battle he described as good versus evil.

“Look at the s*** that they’re trying to shove down our kids’ throats with these drag shows and the gender changes,” Williams vented as he described some Democrats’ positions on transgender rights. “Now I don’t know about you, but that’s evil right there. And I have a huge problem with that.”

But Ott said he was sticking with Republicans because of his optimism that economic conditions in the US would improve during the second half of the president’s term.

“[Trump] is gonna do more,” he said. “This economy is going to be so much better.”

尽管美国选民面临日益严重的经济困境，但唐纳德·特朗普最忠实的支持者并没有因此失去信心。

即使生活成本越来越高，支持“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA）的选民对美国总统唐纳德·特朗普的支持也丝毫未减。[图片：Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo]

美国宾夕法尼亚州麦康奈尔斯堡——卡尔文·奥特是美国总统唐纳德·特朗普的坚定支持者，他在当地拥有一家园林绿化公司。他是众多所谓的“MAGA选民”之一，尽管自特朗普总统去年重返政坛以来，生活成本大幅上涨，但他的支持却从未动摇。

“我今年 75 岁了，还在工作，”奥特一边在麦康奈尔斯堡富尔顿酒吧昏暗的灯光下啜饮着库尔斯淡啤，一边说道。

美国消费者信心指数在中期选举前跌至2014年以来的最低水平（共3项，此为第1项）

列表 2/3：特朗普在支持率创历史新低之际发起中期选举竞选攻势

特朗普将美国燃油价格飙升归咎于民主党和乌克兰，而非伊朗战争（共3条，此为第3条）。

这家酒吧是镇上大约 1000 名居民的聚会场所，奥特在看完医生后会在这里放松一下，然后再驱车一小时穿过阿巴拉契亚山脉回到他在希彭斯堡的家。

“我做过四次心脏搭桥手术。我得过皮肤癌。我的手指被切掉了。我还有好几次心脏问题，”奥特带着一丝自豪说道，同时展示了他那只因几十年来电锯和割草机事故而受伤的右手。

尽管医疗费用不断上涨——他的药物价格自去年以来已经翻了一番多——而且他已接近 80 岁，无法退休，这位曾三次投票给特朗普的选民表示，他仍将在下个月的美国中期选举中继续投票给共和党。

“我百分之百支持他，”奥特告诉半岛电视台，此时酒吧里正播放着Foreigner乐队的歌曲《Urgent》。

2016年，该镇所在的富尔顿县只有不到6000人支持特朗普的总统竞选。八年后，这个数字上升到7000多人，这助力特朗普重返白宫。

奥特认为，他支持特朗普与其说是反映了特朗普的所作所为，不如说是反映了如果民主党人掌权会采取的行动。

奥特说：“他是唯一一位信守承诺的总统。他憎恨战争，尽管我们正身处战争之中。但他始终站在美国一边。”

“拜登到底给过美国人什么好处？”他抨击特朗普的民主党前任乔·拜登的经济政策，其中包括在新冠疫情期间通过立法向美国人发放1400美元的刺激支票。

谁该为此负责？

特朗普最忠实的拥护者对他的坚定支持贯穿了共和党的大本营，例如麦康奈尔斯堡。

像奥特这样的“让美国再次伟大”的选民构成了总统支持者的中坚力量：他们是工人阶级、白人、没有大学学历，并且对华盛顿感到愤怒。

美联社-NORC公共事务研究中心上个月进行的一项民意调查发现，只有17%的美国成年人认可特朗普对生活成本的处理方式，而略多于四分之一的受访者认可他对整体经济的处理方式。

唐纳德·特朗普总统最狂热的支持者并没有将他们的经济困境归咎于他。[图片：Alex Brandon/AP Photo]

特朗普最狂热的支持者表示，自特朗普连任以来，他们的不满情绪和经济负担有增无减。但与大多数美国人不同，他们并不把国家的经济困境归咎于总统本人。相反，他们将矛头指向了去年1月卸任的拜登。

坐在奥特旁边吧台的是丽贝卡·拉什利，她是一位退休的护理助理，她说，在拜登的政策之后，特朗普应该得到信任。

“拜登花了四年时间才把事情搞砸，特朗普两年时间怎么可能弥补？”拉什利问道。

“你知道拜登给那个人留下了什么吗？他给那个人留下了一大堆烂摊子，”他说。

这是白宫经常挂在嘴边的一句老话。

自2025年连任总统以来，特朗普及其政府成员经常声称，他们不应为美国的生活成本问题负责。上个月，特朗普在社交媒体上发帖称，“全美物价上涨是瞌睡乔·拜登和拜登政府造成的，而不是‘特朗普’造成的。”

美国能源部长克里斯·赖特在最近接受福克斯新闻采访时表示：“我们正走出多年的能源减量时期”，并将燃料价格上涨归咎于拜登政府。

在宾夕法尼亚州以南五个小时车程的弗吉尼亚州阿米莉亚县，这个共和党占绝对优势的地区，特里·威廉姆斯基本上同意特朗普的观点。

做好周日早餐后，送餐员深深地陷进他那张磨损严重的瀑布式沙发里，准备舒舒服服地看一下午的橄榄球赛。但在当天第一场比赛开球前，他却发表了一番粗鲁无礼、夹杂着脏话的咆哮，抨击所谓的“狗屁”经济，声称是更大的“深层政府”势力阻挠总统解决经济问题。

“我认为特朗普只是因为不敢站出来告诉大家真相才把责任推给拜登，”这位自称“特朗普铁杆支持者”的人一边说着，一边从厨房里飘出培根油的香味。“我这么说的原因是美联储。他们解决一切问题的办法就是印钞票。”

“美联储、美联储的股东们，不管这些人到底是谁，他们之所以要增发货币，是因为他们别无选择。”

威廉姆斯曾公开支持特朗普在第二个任期内向美联储施压以降低利率的策略，他表示，美国央行制定的政策导致该国货币没有真正的内在价值。

“我始终认为这种经济模式是一种幻觉，我们使用的是假币，”他说。

“我必须做出牺牲”

特朗普竞选时承诺要降低疫情带来的顽固通货膨胀，但他的第二个任期却推出了一系列普遍不受欢迎的举措，导致美国大部分地区的物价上涨。

他的关税政策是在去年白宫举行的“解放日”活动上推出的，但这些政策的支持率极低。美联社的调查发现，近65%的美国人将高昂的物价归咎于特朗普的政策。

无党派的税务基金会估计，特朗普执政期间实施的关税导致美国家庭去年平均增税超过1000美元。今年1月，美国最高法院裁定总统的大部分关税违法后，2026年的增税幅度略有下降，约为820美元。

这项政策的影响在弗吉尼亚州体现得尤为明显。据全国纳税人联盟基金会估计，自特朗普的关税政策实施以来，弗吉尼亚州已额外支付了约62亿美元的税款，平均每个家庭近1800美元。

但该州的一些“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA）选民，例如威廉姆斯，表示尽管有额外的成本，他们仍然“相信”特朗普的关税政策，并认为应该扩大该政策。

“我非常赞同关税制度。这样一来，美国人民就不用缴税了，”威廉姆斯说。“我喜欢这个理念。”

但对特朗普和共和党人来说，伊朗战争可能会在中期选举中产生最重大的影响。

这场冲突已持续八个月，据《纽约时报》/锡耶纳学院的民调显示，上个月只有27%的美国注册选民表示支持这场冲突。然而，在特朗普最忠实的支持者中，这一比例高达65%。

威廉姆斯谈到特朗普对伊朗发动的战争时说：“如果这是为了拯救我们的共和国，那绝对没问题。”但他对总统发动的这场战争导致汽油价格上涨表示担忧。

自2月底美以对伊朗发动首次袭击以来，美国燃油价格飙升。据美国汽车协会（AAA）的数据显示，目前美国普通汽油的平均价格为每加仑（3.8升）4.29美元，比去年9月上涨了1.30多美元。

特朗普已经开始承认，这场战争及其造成的经济影响可能会让他的政党失去对国会的控制权。

“嗯，这并非不可能，”特朗普本月初告诉记者。“因为伊朗不会拥有核武器。所以，当你问‘伊朗拥有核武器可以吗？’时，我会说，包括全世界在内，百分之百的人都会说‘不’。所以，如果你这样说，就会有帮助。如果你不这么说，可能会适得其反。”

美国加利福尼亚州阿尔罕布拉的汽油价格 [图片：Frederic J Brown/AFP]

为了美国的安全，大多数“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA）的选民表示，他们愿意承担特朗普伊朗政策决定的代价——他们认为，美国也应该承担这个代价。

“如果他不那样做会怎么样？会发生什么？肯定不会好，”拉什利说。“为了让事情变得更好，我们必须做出牺牲。我不在乎你是谁。我们和他一起做出这种牺牲。”

奥特解释说，战争导致的燃油价格上涨迫使他的园林绿化业务做出改变。他不得不向客户加收燃油附加费，并解雇了十几名员工。

“我不反对战争，”奥特说，“我有生意要做，我必须做出牺牲。”

特朗普总统曾多次承诺，美国人民最终将享受到他政策带来的好处。

在与美国盟友发动了一场最终演变成贸易战的战争后，特朗普去年承诺将利用关税收入向美国人发放他所谓的 2000 美元“红利”。

11月9日，特朗普在他的Truth Social账号上发帖称：“反对关税的人都是傻瓜！”随后他又补充道：“每个人都将获得至少2000美元的红利（不包括高收入人群！）。”

截至8月底，最高法院裁决后，特朗普政府已退还超过1000亿美元。但这些钱流向了企业，而非直接惠及普通美国民众。

在中期选举临近之际，特朗普承诺将发放更多现金。在9月份共和党全国委员会中期选举大会上，这位美国总统表示，如果他的政党在下个月的选举中“获胜”，美国成年人将获得5000美元的“特朗普红利”。

大多数美国人表示，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普的经济政策给他们带来了负担。[图片：肯特·西村/法新社]

民调显示，该提议适得其反，45%的无党派选民告诉NBC新闻，他们不太可能支持同意该提议的候选人。

但这在特朗普的支持者中非常受欢迎——甚至可以说是非常受欢迎——因为这些支持者认为他们有权从政府那里获得某种形式的补偿。

“我认为，如果总统能够帮助所有需要帮助的人，那真是太好了，”拉什利说。“我的意思是，我们有钱。我们每个人一生都为国家做出了贡献。”

奥特说：“我一辈子都在缴税，我应该得到一些回报。但他们从来没给我任何东西。”

拉什利站起来回答说：“没错！”

“他们把一切都夺走了。”

大多数美国人认为，特朗普的经济政策给他们带来了负担，而不是好处。

据美联社民调显示，约有十分之七的美国人（包括超过一半的共和党人）认为他对生活成本的处理“比预期更糟”。

但MAGA支持者表示，即使总统的经济政策在全国范围内面临越来越多的批评，他们仍将坚定地支持总统。

要了解为什么他最铁杆的支持者会一直忠诚，就必须了解特朗普最初是如何建立他的政治联盟的。

新美国基金会的一项研究发现，特朗普的联盟关系紧密，其主要驱动力是对不同文化和政治群体的怨恨。拉什利将美国的生活成本危机归咎于移民，也反映了这种情绪。

“他们正在接管我们国家的企业。他们要拿走一切，”她说。“我不赞成给来这里的人比我们得到的更多。绝对不行！”

拉什利甚至更进一步，表示她希望特朗普能够终身担任总统。

“我希望他能一直当总统到去世，”她说。“他走了以后会发生什么？这才是真正让我担心的。”

奥特说：“我愿意把我的生命托付给特朗普。”

单凭物价上涨还不足以切断特朗普与他一些最忠实选民之间的联系。

对他们中的许多人来说，这不仅仅是高成本经济和低成本经济之间的选择，而是关乎特朗普之后会是什么——以及谁会接任。

奥特说：“我担心会有人上任后无法胜任这份工作，然后我们又会走下坡路。我担心民主党人。”

“我也是。他们疯了。”拉什利回答道。

“他们会把这个国家变成什么样？我们会遭殃的，”奥特说。“我们还不如生活在南非或者类似的地方。”

这种忠诚度在11月可能会发挥重要作用。

在今年的共和党初选中，特朗普已经表明共和党选民会追随他的脚步。他支持的候选人在印第安纳州、肯塔基州和德克萨斯州接连获胜，进一步巩固了他对该党的控制。

虽然总统在关键选举中动员其忠诚但投票意愿往往不高的选民的政治本能通常都很有效，但他们能否阻止民主党支持浪潮的兴起，目前还不太清楚。

阿卜杜勒·埃尔-赛义德是密歇根州民主党参议员初选的进步派候选人，他在美国密歇根州底特律市的一次竞选集会上发表讲话。[图片：Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo]

进步派和自由派候选人团结起来，共同倡导降低物价和降低成本——这种做法引起了选民的共鸣，他们感到越来越受到特朗普政策的压迫。

路透社/益普索8月份进行的一项民意调查显示，美国选民在生活成本问题上给予民主党36%对28%的优势，超过了共和党。

拉什利承认这个问题引起了她的共鸣，但她表示，在任何情况下她都不会考虑投票反对总统。

9 月份 PBS 新闻/NPR/马里斯特民意调查显示，超过 70% 的美国“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA）支持者表示，他们将在本次选举中投票支持特朗普。

威廉姆斯表示他计划在11月的大选中全部投共和党的票，经济并非他最关心的问题。他说，这场选择归根结底是一场善与恶的较量。

“看看他们用这些变装表演和性别转换来强迫我们的孩子接受的那些乱七八糟的东西，”威廉姆斯在描述一些民主党人在跨性别权利问题上的立场时愤愤不平地说。“我不知道你们怎么想，但这简直是邪恶至极。我对此非常反感。”

但奥特表示，他之所以继续支持共和党，是因为他乐观地认为，在总统任期的后半段，美国的经济状况将会改善。

他说：“（特朗普）还会做更多的事情。经济形势将会好得多。”