Anomalous times for the US: What do Americans remember about the Trump economy and the role of immigration and foreign wars? Comment on Luis and Escarraman
Luis says he’s nostalgic for the Trump economy. The 41-year-old Republican owns his own truck and hauls freight from New Jersey to California. Maintenance, parts, diesel fuel — it has all become so pricey, he said.
He is not alone. A recent poll shows that voters trust the presumptive Republican nominee, more on the economy than the incumbent. It’s an important factor as voters look ahead to Election Day in November — but it’s far from the only one.
Escarraman said he is weighing a variety of factors in whom he supports politically. He is concerned about the rise in migration and the amount of money the US government spends on foreign wars.
But he also remembers that life under former President Donald Trump was at times alarming. He said that it was a lot of fights in the country. “It was kind of like a civil war, but financially, it was better.”
The rallying cry in Northampton, Pennsylvania, during the 2016-2020 election cycle: Voters in a boom county say they’re nostalgic for the Trump economy
Many people in Northampton County were angry with inflation and the high cost of housing, but at the same time they were also talking about other priorities this election cycle.
Northampton is a county that voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 as well as Trump in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020, meaning they all voted for the same candidate.
Outside of grocery stories and polling places in Northampton County, hardly anyone interviewed by NPR expressed optimism about the economy, regardless of their politics.
When Trump was in office it was sad, but my 401(k) was going up and up. I mean, it was wonderful to watch it,” said Ruthann Arris, 69, a Democrat who is retired.
In Trump’s first three years in office, the S&P 500 index went up fourfold. The S&P 500 index rose 26% during Biden’s first three years in office.
Source: Voters in this ‘boomerang’ county say they’re nostalgic for the Trump economy
I’m all for it, but I can’t do it, and what will I do next year? — A challenge for Biden on the campaign trail
But she said she still intends to vote for Biden this November. “I think he comes across as much better than the alternative,” she said. “You have a more stable America.” It isn’t worth the short-term gain of a 401(k) going up.
A survey from NBC News in April found that voters said inflation was the No. 1 concern facing the country, and they gave Trump a double-digit advantage on the issue. But when it came to identifying an issue that is “so important that you would vote for or against a candidate solely on that basis,” voters pointed to democracy, abortion or immigration/border security, depending on their politics.
“People want to complain about the economy and everything like that,” said Greg Poff, 49, a Republican who said he is concerned about border security. Everything else will fall into dominoes if you can control the flow of people into the country.
Biden has made the economy a central part of his message on the campaign trail, pointing to the strong jobs market and the growth in the infrastructure and semiconductor sectors thanks to legislation he has signed.
One challenge is that many people are still using pre-pandemic prices as their benchmark, so any other economic message the president is trying to send isn’t breaking through.
“I think it’s hard because people don’t like things to cost more than they did before. Julie Smith, an economist at Lafayette College in Northampton County, said that it’s going to be hard to convince people that they’re wrong.
