In crisis, Trump鈥檚 most ardent fans find they love him more
To many on the left, President Donald Trump has been a manifest disaster in guiding America through the current pandemic.
But Maria Romero most definitely would beg to differ.
鈥淭he man is not a magician, but he鈥檚 doing everything he can. 鈥� He believes in America and he believes in Americans,鈥� says Ms. Romero, who lost her job at a car dealership outside of Chicago two weeks ago because of COVID-19.
Why We Wrote This
Critics say the president failed to prepare for the pandemic and is botching the response. But roughly a third of Americans believe he鈥檚 exhibiting strong leadership, and back his desire to get the economy moving soon.
She tunes into President Trump鈥檚 coronavirus briefings every evening, saying they make her feel reassured and hopeful.
鈥淚 could be bitter, I could say, 鈥楾his is President Trump鈥檚 fault鈥� 鈥� but it鈥檚 not,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hings were wonderful [before COVID-19]. He did it once, he鈥檒l do it again. I trust him.鈥�
Editor鈥檚 note: As a public service,聽all our coronavirus coverage聽is free. No paywall.
As the United States navigates a spring season like no other, with much of its population sheltering at home and the economy frozen, President Trump鈥檚 core supporters 鈥� call them 鈥渟uperfans鈥� 鈥� remain staunchly behind a chief executive they believe was Making America Great Again before a pandemic unexpectedly upset his plans.
Democrats may maintain that the president initially downplayed the threat from the novel coronavirus. The media may report that the White House failed to prepare for the pandemic by making sure the U.S. had adequate testing and medical supplies.
But these superfans, while they agree the crisis has been devastating, believe that President Trump has responded with strong leadership. They think the president is rightly attuned to the need to get the economy moving again as soon as possible, despite warnings from public health experts that broadly reopening workplaces before a vaccine or treatments are available could lead to another spike in fatalities.
This unshaken faith in Mr. Trump鈥檚 leadership is not necessarily because his supporters have been less impacted by the virus 鈥� although so far it has hit hardest in urban areas like New York and Detroit, which tend to be predominantly Democratic. Still, plenty of the president鈥檚 supporters have lost loved ones to COVID-19. Recently, the Front Row Joes 鈥撀�a self-named group of Trump superfans聽who travel the country going to MAGA rallies聽鈥� lost one of their own: Benjamin Hirschmann, a young political science student from Fraser, Michigan, known for his smile and MAGA cape.聽
In response, however, Mr. Trump鈥檚 fans are more convinced than ever that he鈥檚 the right man for the job. In interviews, more than a dozen Trump voters tell the Monitor they believe Mr. Trump鈥檚 unique talents are needed now more than ever.
鈥淓verything he is doing is for the good of the country,鈥� says Cindy Hoffman, who owns an industrial tool sharpening business with her husband in Independence, Iowa. 鈥淚t feels like he鈥檚 my father. He鈥檚 going to protect me.鈥�
As polarized as ever
In a world in which everything has suddenly been upended, it鈥檚 perhaps revealing that views of Mr. Trump have remained as polarized as ever.聽聽
Typically, support for the president goes up in a crisis, as Americans 鈥渞ally round the flag.鈥� Former President George W. Bush鈥檚 approval rating, for example, hit a after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. And in early to mid-March, Mr. Trump鈥檚 overall approval rating did rise modestly,聽, according to a Morning Consult poll.聽聽
But that proved to be short lived. By the beginning of April, Mr. Trump鈥檚 approval rating had fallen back to 49%, with the gap between Democrats and Republicans even wider than before. In the latest Morning Consult poll, it stands at 43% 鈥� about where it was at the end of February.
The president鈥檚 critics say his 鈥渞ally round鈥� bump evaporated because his leadership through the pandemic has been poor. Mr. Trump鈥檚 initial dismissal of the threat from the novel coronavirus as 鈥渃ontained鈥� 鈥� and the critical time his administration wasted once the threat was known, when it should have been ramping up testing and the production of medical supplies 鈥� has almost certainly cost lives, they say.
The president鈥檚 hard-core supporters, however, disagree. According to , 27% of those surveyed 鈥渟trongly approve鈥� of President Trump鈥檚 current job performance. That may be a rough measure for Mr. Trump鈥檚 true base, the voters who will not abandon him under almost any foreseeable circumstance.
The daily press briefings the president has been holding may be one way he鈥檚 continuing to keep his most committed fans behind him, says Jason Mollica, a lecturer at American University鈥檚 School of Communication.
While Mr. Trump has always had a knack for grabbing the spotlight, he has been more visible than ever in recent weeks. In some ways, the briefings have taken the place of MAGA rallies, providing a forum for the president to promote himself and attack the news media, impart valuable information, and make assertions that are not always backed by facts.聽
鈥淓very day he has a chance to reach his people,鈥� says Mr. Mollica. 鈥淗e tells his supporters he is doing everything he can to support us Americans. 鈥� To everyone else, he might not make any sense, but [his fans] believe he is making America great again, even as the numbers [of coronavirus deaths] climb.鈥�
Indeed, many Trump supporters believe that the crisis would be far worse with anyone else in the White House.
When Mr. Trump moved to restrict flights from China聽, he was called a racist, notes Tommy Dugo, a moderator for a pro-Trump Facebook group. 鈥淏ut that probably saved a lot of lives,鈥� says Mr. Dugo.
And if the president snaps at reporters during his daily briefings, it鈥檚 only because they refuse to acknowledge anything positive, says Randal Thom, a dog breeder and painter from Lakefield, Minnesota, and a founder of the Front Row Joes. 鈥淵ou see the reporters there giving him snarky comments and 鈥榞otcha鈥� type of questions,鈥� says Mr. Thom.聽
Mr. Trump has been criticized by many for suggesting he may want to reopen America before health officials deem advisable, saying: 鈥淲e cannot let the cure聽.鈥�
The president鈥檚 supporters often repeat this sentiment, with some adding that the COVID-19 models predicting high mortality rates seem like part of a Democratic conspiracy to keep the markets down and hurt Mr. Trump鈥檚 chances of reelection.聽
According to聽聽more than half of Mr. Trump鈥檚 voters believe it will be safe to end social distancing by May 1,聽whereas the majority of those who voted for Hillary Clinton believe that move should come later.聽Likewise, while almost 65% of Clinton voters say Americans are still not taking the risks of coronavirus seriously enough, some 60% of Trump voters say Americans are either behaving appropriately or overreacting.聽
Some of the president鈥檚 supporters, including Mr. Thom, recently created the group 鈥溾�� to try to show lawmakers that many voters agree with the president.
鈥淲e are doing this to counter the left鈥檚 strategy,鈥� says Mr. Thom. 鈥淭heir narrative is to keep America shut down.鈥�
Shared experiences
Of course, not all of Mr. Trump鈥檚 voters are thrilled with his handling of COVID-19. Katy Ritter, a stay-at-home mom in Louisville, Kentucky, voted for Mr. Trump in 2016, but she鈥檚 had some buyer鈥檚 remorse watching the president鈥檚 recent press conferences, and is not sure she鈥檒l vote for him again in November.
鈥淲e need to be led by a more compassionate person,鈥� says Ms. Ritter, pointing to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear as an example. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all in this together, and I want [Trump] to give us some of that unity that Andy is giving us.鈥�
And there are some issues where Trump supporters and critics widely agree 鈥� such as support for the $2 trillion CARES Act,聽. According to the YouGov poll, a majority of both Trump and Clinton voters 鈥渟trongly approve鈥� of the coronavirus relief legislation鈥檚 payments to Americans making less than $99,000, extended unemployment eligibility, and its $117 billion for hospitals.聽
鈥淯sually I鈥檓 not a fan of doling out money. I think people should make their own way,鈥� says Ms. Romero, who recently got two part-time jobs: one at Home Depot, and one at a local grocery store. 鈥淏ut the stimulus is a necessity right now. This is uncharted territory.鈥澛犅�
The isolation of quarantine is also a shared experience across party lines. Like many Americans, the Front Row Joes 鈥� who often would wait in line together for days in advance of Mr. Trump鈥檚 rallies 鈥� have been looking for ways to connect in this unprecedented time.聽
Last week a dozen of them from across the country logged into Zoom for a 鈥渧irtual flag drop,鈥� reciting the Pledge of Allegiance together from their pixelated squares, some posing in front of Trump posters, others wearing red hats.聽
The Joes have also been connecting on Facebook to share memories of Mr. Hirschmann. They鈥檝e been sharing news articles about the聽聽in front of the Hirschmanns鈥� home in Michigan, and photos of Taco Bell chalupas, Mr. Hirschmann鈥檚 favorite.聽
When Ms. Hoffman first heard the news about Mr. Hirschmann鈥檚 death from COVID-19, she immediately called his cell phone 鈥� praying it wasn鈥檛 true. But Mr. Hirschmann鈥檚 mother answered, and confirmed that her son had passed away.
鈥淗e was a mixture between my brother and my son,鈥� says Ms. Hoffman, her voice wavering. 鈥淗e would worry about me and I鈥檇 worry about him.鈥�
Still, Ms. Hoffman doesn鈥檛 blame Mr. Trump in any way for what happened 鈥� and she doesn鈥檛 believe Mr. Hirschmann would, either.聽
鈥淚 trust [Trump] with my life. 鈥� And Ben said that actual phrase to me: 鈥業 trust Trump with my life,鈥欌�� she recalls. If he were here, he would tell people 鈥渢o trust Trump,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 know that鈥檚 what he would say.鈥�
Editor鈥檚 note: As a public service,聽all our coronavirus coverage聽is free. No paywall.
