As Trump's problems mount, don't forget he's still favourite
Evening Standard|July 31, 2024
TRUMP fever has broken in small town America, judging by appearances.
Sarah Baxter
As Trump's problems mount, don't forget he's still favourite

I have just arrived in north-eastern Pennsylvania for the dog days of summer in a former mining community nestled among beautiful hills by the mighty Susquehanna river. In 2020 it was a riot of Donald Trump flags and yard signs, portraying him as Rambo brandishing a bazooka and in other heroic poses. Today, there are almost none. It is a shocking turnaround. Are Trump supporters lying low or have they disappeared?

This is Luzerne county, part of the Democratic “blue-wall” that crumbled in 2016 and propelled Trump to victory against Hillary Clinton. In 2020 Trump beat Joe Biden here by 57 per cent to 42 per cent. People used to boast they were “proud deplorables” in response to Clinton’s famous insult. Where have they all gone? I can’t say for sure, but the neighbourhood feels moderately more prosperous, younger, more diverse and less angry. Near-full employment and the absence of the pandemic may have something to do with the atmosphere.

Julia Robins, 44, has a rare Biden- Harris 2024 sign on her front lawn, which she is waiting to update. Her next-door neighbours were big Trump supporters four years ago; today she is not sure. I asked her what was different about this year’s campaign. Robins believes Trump voters are no longer feeling loud and proud. “They don’t want people to know they support him. After what happened on January 6, I wouldn’t want people to know I was a Trump supporter.” The same goes for Roe v Wade, she added, citing the supreme court’s reversal of abortion rights.

Robins has three daughters and four grand-daughters. “My mother is a registered independent. My sister’s a registered independent. All voting Democratic,” she emphasised.

Her fiancé is a registered Republican, who thought Biden was too old to run, but will probably vote for Harris. “He’s got to live with me for the rest of his life,” Robins quipped. She was not sure about her 24-year-old son, who likes guns, but hoped he could be persuaded.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 31, 2024 من Evening Standard.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 31, 2024 من Evening Standard.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من EVENING STANDARD مشاهدة الكل
The era of longevity is almost upon us. But can our minds really keep up?
The London Standard

The era of longevity is almost upon us. But can our minds really keep up?

A post-ageing world is just around the corner, says longevity scientist AUBREY DE GREY, and it’s going to change the way we live

time-read
4 mins  |
November 07, 2024
Hidden London
The London Standard

Hidden London

SECRET SPOTS YOU SIMPLY HAVE TO DISCOVER

time-read
4 mins  |
November 07, 2024
How Christian Louboutin fell in love with Melides in Portugal
The London Standard

How Christian Louboutin fell in love with Melides in Portugal

The wild beauty of this seaside village charmed the French fashion designer so much that he made it his home

time-read
5 mins  |
November 07, 2024
Actor Millie Bobby Brown romances in Hyde Park, feasts at Sheesh and buys thelot at Harrods
The London Standard

Actor Millie Bobby Brown romances in Hyde Park, feasts at Sheesh and buys thelot at Harrods

Interview with Actor Millie Bobby Brown

time-read
3 mins  |
November 07, 2024
How will Arteta manage without influential Edu?
The London Standard

How will Arteta manage without influential Edu?

Arsenal need smooth transition between eras just like Man City

time-read
2 mins  |
November 07, 2024
"I had no one in Manchester apart from my PlayStation"
The London Standard

"I had no one in Manchester apart from my PlayStation"

Aaron Wan-Bissaka was a young man rated among the country's most promising footballers when Manchester United came calling in the summer of 2019.

time-read
6 mins  |
November 07, 2024
The battle for the soul of Soho
The London Standard

The battle for the soul of Soho

Inside the war between London's porn baron family and the council they say is killing the vibe

time-read
4 mins  |
November 07, 2024
At the table: Sad steaks seasoned with despair
The London Standard

At the table: Sad steaks seasoned with despair

Fetch the smelling salts, you're in for a shock: A Restaurant Critic Hates a Famously Terrible Restaurant. Low-hanging fruit? Perhaps.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 07, 2024
Class portrait Nobody else writes about middle England so acutely
The London Standard

Class portrait Nobody else writes about middle England so acutely

Tessa Hadley's first novella depicts women in refreshing ways

time-read
3 mins  |
November 07, 2024
How a tiny cult radio station in Hackney took over the world
The London Standard

How a tiny cult radio station in Hackney took over the world

I think the most obscure place I've had a listener email from so far was probably a guy in the Yukon,\" laughs Flo Dill, the host of NTS Radio's flagship morning show.

time-read
4 mins  |
November 07, 2024