Another Trump supporter in the program, Tarzan Vince, put it this way: “If he’s preaching jobs, why take away jobs?”
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Ezekiel Moreno, who also voted for Mr. Trump, credits a training program for his having a good job today. That program would also be hurt by the president’s budget proposal, yet Mr. Moreno, like Ms. McCracken, doesn’t regret his vote. Credit Andrea Morales for The New York Times I came to Trump country to see how voters react as Trump moves from glorious campaign promises to the messier task of governing. While conservatives often decry government spending in general, red states generally receive more in federal government benefits than blue states do — and thus are often at greater risk from someone like Trump.
Ezekiel Moreno, 35, a Navy veteran, was stocking groceries in a supermarket at night — “a dead-end job,” as he describes it — when he was accepted in WorkAdvance two years ago. That training led him to a job at M&M Manufacturing, which makes aerospace parts, and to steady pay increases.
“We’ve moved out of an apartment and into a house,” Moreno told me, explaining how his new job has changed his family’s life. “My daughter is taking violin lessons, and my other daughter has a math tutor.”
Moreno was sitting at a table with his boss, Rocky Payton, the factory’s general manager, and Amy Saum, the human resources manager. All said they had voted for Trump, and all were bewildered that he wanted to cut funds that channel people into good manufacturing jobs.
“There’s a lot of wasteful spending, so cut other places,” Moreno said.
Payton suggested that if the government wants to cut budgets, it should target “Obama phones” provided to low-income Americans. (In fact, the program predates President Barack Obama and is financed by telecom companies rather than by taxpayers.)
Yet Democrats gleeful at the prospect of winning penitent voters back should take a deep breath. These voters may be irritated, but I was struck by how loyal they remain to Trump.
I talked to many Trump voters about the impact if Trump’s budget cuts go through, and none regretted their votes in November. They all said that they might vote for Trump for re-election.
Judy Banks, a 70-year-old struggling to get by, said she voted for Trump because “he was talking about getting rid of those illegals.” But Banks now finds herself shocked that he also has his sights on funds for the Labor Department’s Senior Community Service Employment Program, which is her lifeline. It pays senior citizens a minimum wage to hold public service jobs.
“This program makes sense,” said Banks, who was placed by the program into a job as a receptionist for a senior nutrition program. Banks said she depends on the job to make ends meet, and for an excuse to get out of the house.
“If I lose this job,” she said, “I’ll sit home and die.”
Yet she said she might still vote for Trump in 2020. And that’s a refrain I heard over and over. Some of the loyalty seemed to be grounded in resentment at Democrats for mocking Trump voters as dumb bigots, some from a belief that budgets are complicated, and some from a sense that it’s too early to abandon their man. They did say that if jobs didn’t reappear, they would turn against him.
One recent survey found that only 3 percent of Trump voters would vote differently if the election were today (and most of those would vote for third-party candidates; only 1 percent said they would switch to voting for Hillary Clinton).
Elizabeth Hays, 27, said her life changed during her freshman year in high school, when four upperclassmen raped her. Domestic Violence Intervention Services rescued her, she said, by helping her understand that the rape wasn’t her fault.
She’s profoundly grateful to the organization — yet she stands by Trump even as she is dismayed that he wants to slash support for a group that helped her when she needed it most. “We have to look at what we spend money on,” she said, adding, “I will stand behind my president.”
What did they expect. Trump was pretty clear about cutting government programs.
The cuts need to be much bigger but I'm still glad he gave Hillary the schlonging she deserved.
Seems like he is going to give the schlong to his supporters.
Better than paying off his supporters.
I doubt if the Trump supports will feel that way that they haven't been schlonged.
I doubt anyone can find a candidate that they agree with on all issues.
Probably true. They did say that if jobs didn’t reappear, they would turn against him.
Well, thry've probably had these beliefs their entire life.
I think it will take a long time for reality to set in for most of these people. And some will never change.
But i think that gradually, more and more of them will.
The question is--- how long will it take? Will enough wake up in time for the next election-- in 2018? if so, there could be a Democratic landslide in 2018.
if not, it will probably happen by the 2020 election.
There is a interesting special election now in Georgia. One to fill the seat of one of Trumps appointee's.
It's always hard for the victims to face the fact that they've had. It's embarrassing to admit to themselves and others that they were conned. No one wants to believe it can happen to them and professional con artists like Trump count on that. However in these cases above it did. It will take some time before they can face it, but sooner or later they will. And when they do they will be pissed off.
Nice try, but not even close.
On second thought, not even a nice try.
Maybe they shouldn't have gathered together and chanted things like "build that wall", if they wanted their taxes to continue funding the things they rely on. Fucking morons.