5 minPolitics
Michigan Trump supporters say high gas prices won't change their midterm votes
Trump supporters in Michigan say they will stick with Republicans in the midterms despite high fuel and grocery prices and the war with Iran, even as his national approval slips.
Trump supporters in Michigan, a key battleground state, say rising prices at the gas pump, the diesel pump and the supermarket will not push them away from Republicans in the midterm elections. In conversations with nearly 20 voters who waited in line for hours to attend a Trump rally in Port Huron, a small city on the shores of Lake Huron, supporters described the president as acting in the country's best interests and dismissed Democrats as "socialists."
"He has our best interests at heart. He loves our country and he is doing the right things for us to get back on track," said Carol Mocan of Warren, Michigan, speaking to Fox News Digital. Other attendees echoed that view. Linda Taggart of Marysville called the current high prices "short term pain for long term gain," adding, "We see the long term goal and we support that." James Blake of Bay City said, "I know that Trump is always out for America's interests first. And that's what I really like about him."
The enthusiasm comes as Republicans work to hold their slim House and Senate majorities against long-standing political history, since the party controlling Washington has traditionally lost seats in midterm years. The GOP is also contending with a difficult political climate shaped by persistent inflation, which is tied in part to the war with Iran, a conflict that polls show is unpopular, and by Trump's increasingly negative approval ratings. In the latest Fox News national poll, Trump stood at 36 percent approval, his lowest level ever in a Fox News survey. Among self-described MAGA voters, however, his approval rating remained at 95 percent.
Several voters framed the economic strain as a temporary cost. Bob Kemp of Port Huron said Trump is putting the country back on course after four years of Democratic control of the White House under former President Joe Biden, noting, "whenever you're fixing something, it always gets worse before it gets better." Michael Bacheller, also of Port Huron, said the affordability issue would not affect his vote in the midterms. "I think it's kind of a small price that we have to pay temporarily, and I think that's how Trump's, you know, putting it, and I can agree with that," he said. Asked whether she blamed Trump for high prices, Judith Troy of Port Huron said, "yes and no, you know, because he's doing what he has to do. Which causes, you know, prices to go up and that, but he's doing it for a good cause, so, you know, it's expected."
At the rally, Trump argued that the war against Iran was necessary. "We are ensuring that Iran will never have, ever have, ever, ever a nuclear weapon," he said. The argument resonated with many attendees. Blake said Trump had "taken the fight to the terrorists over in Iran." Mocan said she does not blame the president for the high cost of living "because Iran needed to be taken care of," adding that she believed it needed to be shut down. Ken Gunnels of Clio, Michigan, said he considered Iran a genuine threat to the country, warning that a nuclear attack on one of the nation's major cities would have severe consequences, and that the country needed a president willing to stand up to such a threat.
Other supporters said immigration was their top concern, placing it ahead of the war and the economy. Steve Scouten of Burtchville said, "My biggest thing is the immigration. If you're here illegally, expect a knock on your door from ICE." His longtime friend Bacheller agreed, calling Trump's immigration policy the one area where he would want the president to be held accountable. Blake pointed to Trump's push to "shut the borders," his stance against men competing in women's sports, and his tax policies, including no tax on tips, no tax on overtime and no tax on Social Security, which he said mattered to many of his relatives. Rolande Debell of Port Huron said she was "all for Trump" because, in her words, "it's all about being American. It's all about our freedom. It's all about our rights."
None of the Trump supporters interviewed said they would vote for a Democrat in the midterms. Troy said, "I don't like a lot of the things that they believe in." Mocan said Democrats "don't live in the same world that the rest of us do," arguing that they focus on their careers rather than on people. Blake said he would not support Democrats because he is "not in the business of socialism," a direction he believes the party is heading. Scouten said he "used to be a Democrat," but added, "Never again. They're too far to the left."
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