Some decry Trump disruptions. These voters exult in them.
| Keswick, Va.
If anything were to shake the faith of President Donald Trump鈥檚 supporters, it would probably be the international tariffs that have threatened a U.S. recession and pushed America鈥檚 stock market to its . Based on the Trump administration鈥檚 own tariff calculations, prices for everyday goods 鈥� many of which may bear the brunt of the global tariff wars 鈥� are about to .
President Trump won a second term largely because of fears about inflation 鈥� 鈥渁 kitchen table issue,鈥� as politicians say on the campaign trail. But at one kitchen table in Keswick, Virginia, an upscale village on the outskirts of Charlottesville, a group of neighbors says they鈥檙e fine with the higher prices and the market downturn because this president long ago earned their complete trust, loyalty, and, by extension, patience.
To them, Mr. Trump is more than a party leader or even a second-term president. They say they see Mr. Trump as a disrupter and once-in-a-generation visionary 鈥� not someone bound to party politics or vacillating economic forecasts. He鈥檒l do what he thinks is best, they explain, and that鈥檚 what鈥檚 best for America.
Why We Wrote This
Even the direst economic reports or constant talk of an impending constitutional crisis is not likely to sway President Donald Trump鈥檚 most ardent supporters, who see him as a disrupter and once-in-a-generation visionary.
鈥淗e campaigned on breaking things in order to fix them,鈥� says Alan Janusziewicz, tapping an index finger on his kitchen countertop.
And break things President Trump has.
Slashing the federal workforce. Closing governmental agencies. Repealing environmental regulations. Stepping up deportation efforts. Banning diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; paper straws; and transgender participation in women鈥檚 sports. Announcing unprecedented tariffs and starting a global trade war. Less than three months into his second term, President Trump has surprised Democrats and Republicans alike with the breadth and speed of his actions.
Mr. Trump and his administration鈥檚 policies continue to face pointed pushback from university presidents, economists, world leaders, and judges all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. Many have decried his moves as chaotic and illogical, if not illegal. But like the president, many of his voters don鈥檛 seem to care. Even the direst economic reports or constant talk of an impending constitutional crisis is not likely to sway President Trump鈥檚 most ardent supporters, who say they鈥檝e never been prouder of the man remaking the U.S. government 鈥� and, some argue, the world.
In 2016, after traveling the world as a U.S. Army doctor, Mr. Janusziewicz moved with his wife, Michelle de Stefano, to Keswick, and built their home at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. One weeknight in his home, half a dozen neighbors gather to talk and graze overstuffed platters prepared by Ms. de Stefano: pastry-wrapped sausages, stuffed peppers, and grapefruit-rosemary water flavored with herbs that Ms. de Sefano grows in her greenhouse.
As they refill each other鈥檚 glasses and finish each other鈥檚 sentences, the three-time Trump voters speak of President Trump鈥檚 second term with awe. Everyone agrees it鈥檚 already going 鈥渆ven better鈥� than expected.
鈥淚 love everything Trump鈥檚 doing,鈥� says Jill Parks, a retired pharmacist.
It鈥檚 all happening 鈥渁t the speed of light,鈥� adds Jeff Pugh, who works in home improvement, nodding in agreement.
Pam, who declined to give her last name for fear of retribution at work, responds to others鈥� comments by bending her arm into a right angle and pumping it up and down: the universal sign for the 鈥淭rump Train.鈥�
Just as President Trump鈥檚 vision for the country has intensified in his second stint in Washington, so, too, has his core supporters鈥� admiration.
鈥淚 see Trump as this heroic figure,鈥� says Ms. de Stefano, a painter. 鈥淗e really has transcended everything with that assassination attempt. He鈥檚 got a singular goal 鈥� saving this country 鈥� where I don鈥檛 think he had that in his first term. But this term, he鈥檚 got it. He鈥檚 focused like he鈥檚 never been focused.鈥�
Unshakable support meets falling polls
In late February, Republican satisfaction with how things are going in the United States surged 58 percentage points 鈥� the . Short of backing and promoting another vaccine as he did during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Trump could do nothing to shake their support, these Virginia neighbors say.
They love how Mr. Trump has dismissed his first administration鈥檚 鈥渢urncoats,鈥� as Gerald Lafon, a judo coach and former Marine, puts it, and the president is now fighting back with a Cabinet of loyalists. Since taking office, Mr. Trump has involved in cases against him, revoked security clearances for disloyal Republicans and Democrats, and banned The Associated Press from White House events over a disagreement about referring to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. They tick through Mr. Trump鈥檚 fulfillment of campaign promises such as upending the immigration system (through mass deportations) and shrinking the federal bureaucracy (through Elon Musk鈥檚 work in the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE).
The support has endured even when Mr. Trump鈥檚 policies briefly upended Ms. de Stefano and Mr. Janusziewicz鈥檚 livelihoods. The couple own a consulting company that provides medical opinions for veteran claims within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. They had one of their contracts 鈥淒OGE-d,鈥� as Ms. de Stefano puts it. Although the contract was deemed essential and reinstated one week later, she says she supported the president and his cause even while calling her employees and giving a stop-work order.
鈥淲e understood that we were voting for a limited government and yet were a federal contracting company,鈥� says Ms. de Stefano. 鈥淲e put our money where our vote was.鈥�
When it came to Mr. Trump鈥檚 tariff announcements, the group was unsurprised. They all remembered him . The president has touted the power of tariffs for decades.
But seeing the immediate economic consequences hit retirement savings accounts has worried some supporters. According to several early April polls, Mr. Trump鈥檚 approval rating from earlier this year. An Economist/YouGov poll, for example, shows Mr. Trump鈥檚 approval rating dropping 5 points from the week before, and his approval rating on jobs and the economy among Republican voters. In , 49% of respondents disapproved of Mr. Trump鈥檚 handling of trade. As of April, that number has jumped to 55%.
Exploiting the economics
Given that last November鈥檚 election was 鈥渁ll about prices鈥� and next year鈥檚 midterm elections probably will be as well, there鈥檚 鈥渁n opportunity for us to lean in on what we got wrong in the last election,鈥� says Yasmin Radjy, executive director of the progressive political group Swing Left.
Rather than target Mr. Trump鈥檚 loyal base, Ms. Radjy thinks Democrats should target the 鈥減urple鈥� voters who prioritize their bottom line. 鈥淭hose are the majority-makers in any election,鈥� she says.
Brian Seitchik, a Republican strategist who worked on Mr. Trump鈥檚 2016 and 2020 campaigns, agrees the economy could make or break the next big election for Republicans.
鈥淢any Americans felt the jolt of the stock market fluctuations, but that鈥檚 taking a short-term view. President Trump and his Cabinet are taking a long-term view,鈥� says Mr. Seitchik. 鈥淩ight now [Mr. Trump] has a lot of runway with the American people. ... They trust that he has a plan.鈥�
鈥淣ew rules, new game, new sheriff鈥�
And here in this Virginian kitchen are some of those loyal supporters who remain on board. Ms. Parks says Mr. Trump鈥檚 鈥淟iberation Day鈥� should have happened 鈥渁 long time ago.鈥� Whom should we trust to make big economic decisions, says Mr. Janusziewicz, 鈥渕ore than a highly successful businessman?鈥� When asked if they are concerned about the current market volatility, the whole kitchen erupts, 鈥淣o, no, no.鈥�
鈥淗e鈥檚 doing it purposefully, to crash the market, so that it wakes up the rest of the world and says, 鈥楬ey, we鈥檙e not going to take this [expletive] from you anymore,鈥� says Pam.
鈥淭hese are the new rules, new game, new sheriff,鈥� says Mr. Janusziewicz.
鈥淚t all takes time, and, unfortunately, the average American has no patience,鈥� says Mr. Lafon, the former Marine.
They say that the stock market downturn is just another example of Mr. Trump working for the common man. Many Americans don鈥檛 own individual stocks, so the current market downturn only hurts one segment of the country, they say, adding, however, that they all own stocks themselves.
For the past decade that he鈥檚 been in and out of public office, Mr. Trump鈥檚 central appeal to supporters has been his perceived economic prowess. His willingness, until now, to prioritize low costs and shareholder returns by any means necessary is largely how he鈥檚 been able to tape together a winning coalition of both disaffected blue-collar, Midwestern workers and white-collar, old-school Republican budget hawks.
During the past three elections that Mr. Trump has been at the top of the ballot, voters across these demographics have said they aren鈥檛 crazy about Mr. Trump鈥檚 tweets or his conduct on the world stage. They vote for the New York businessman for economic reasons.
For these Virginia voters, it鈥檚 the person, not the policy, that they say drives their devotion to the president. It can feel isolating, they say, supporting Mr. Trump when he is reviled by so many. Why can鈥檛 the entire country see what they see?
鈥淗e鈥檚 one thousand percent patriotic,鈥� says Pam. 鈥淗e loves this country ...鈥�
鈥�... He鈥檚 true to America,鈥� adds Ms. Parks.
鈥淗e鈥檚 so passionate about this country, and he doesn鈥檛 really care whether he鈥檚 very popular,鈥� says Pam. 鈥淗e鈥檚 only focused on America.鈥�
鈥淎nd what鈥檚 good for this country,鈥� interjects Mr. Pugh.
鈥淎nd wouldn鈥檛 you say he鈥檚 really honed that down since the last election?鈥� asks Ms. de Stefano.
鈥淥h yeah,鈥� says Ms. Parks.
鈥淲hat Donald Trump means to me, and I think to most of us, is somebody who is willing to say, 鈥榃e鈥檝e had enough of that,鈥欌�� says Mr. Janusziewicz. 鈥溾�榃e need to do something different.鈥欌��
