Trump voters expect him to deliver Their faith is strong as they await better health care, tax cuts
As President Trump prepares to detail his legislative agenda in his first speech to Congress on Tuesday, the voters who helped elect him have agendas of their own. They have high hopes for how the new president is going to affect their lives — from boosting their small businesses by reducing regulations to shortening wait times to get an appointment with a Veterans Administration doctor.
We turned to USA TODAY’s Trump Voter Panel, drawn nationwide from respondents to the USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll in December, to ask what they have in mind. They remain overwhelmingly supportive of the new president: 24 of the 25 approve of the job he’s doing; one who initially approved is now undecided. Those expectations could be a challenge for Trump as the panel members watch what he manages to achieve and what it means to them.
IT’S THE ECONOMY Ray Keener, 64, a retiree from Seminole, Texas
“With the experience he has as a businessman, I think the economy of the United States will flourish again. I think he has a better insight into being able to work the economy, work deals for the betterment of the United States. Increased stock exchange, prices and stocks going up will help everybody as far as being able to live the American way of life.”
Pat Jolliss, 59, a retiree from Rochester, Ind.
“Keep the economy going in the right direction. We’ve done pretty well, but we know a lot of people who haven’t. I just hope he can unite the country again. We’ve got to be Americans first and stop arguing about things constantly.”
Carl Reiseis, 88, a retiree from Punta Gorda, Fla.
I’m 88. I won’t be around much longer. He’ll be the last president I see in my life. I have five (children): two boys, three girls. I hope he doesn’t screw up the value of money. They’re all in good jobs. They’re retired or close to retired. So they’re off a lot better than I was, as long as the market holds up and all that. I don’t want him to drain the swamp. I just want him to get it back to where it used to be.”
REDUCE TAXES
Rick Dammer, 45, an IT project manager from Zephyrhills, Fla.
“I am hopeful that President Trump will be able to reduce taxes, which will provide additional breathing room for my family and I. This would allow us to do more activities out of the house and help keep the economy growing.”
REDUCE NATIONAL DEBT
Monty Chandler, 45, a disabled veteran from Church Point, La.
“He’s a billionaire, and I’m not. But I felt like he was one of me, like the people, and not just like a politician who lies. That’s the reason I voted for him. I’m hoping he’ll change some social programs to save some money. I’m a disabled vet. I’ve learned to live within my means. I know that’s what I should do. Me and my wife, we live in a house that’s not expensive, drive a truck that’s 7 years old. We live within our means. I think the government could start paying on the $20 trillion debt that we didn’t have eight years ago. If Bill Clinton can get this country to zero debt, I think our president can do the same.”
Steven Spence, 69, a retiree from Mesa, Ariz.
“I want them to balance the budget. We — just ordinary citizens — live in a household, and we have to balance our budget. Otherwise, we lose our house, but people who write a check on other people’s money don’t care. I want the deficit to come down, or my children won’t have a future. On my life, it won’t matter; I’m in my 70s. In my kids’ life, it’ll give them hope, some guidance. We elect people to go to Washington, D.C., to be our spokespeople, but they go there, and they don’t listen. And if they don’t feel like the people in Washington care about how they balance the budget, subconsciously they might think they don’t have to balance their budgets.”
REDUCE REGULATIONS John Moon, 63, self-employed, from Kamas, Utah
“Hopefully, he’ll be able to decrease the regulations, like the EPA is throwing at us. Get some tax relief; that would be great. You know, get the economy back on track. I’m a small-business owner, in the construction business, and I own a farm and also am involved in the oil business. They actually shut down the oil field, Obama did. The Democrats and Obama have done all they can to just stop fracking, and they haven’t completely stopped it. But on federal land, they pretty well shut down the fracking industry and the drilling.”
Keely Vazquez, 59, a smallbusiness owner from St. Paul
“As a small-business owner, I am hoping that the Trump presidency will ease the burden of regulation, high taxes and high health care premiums that fall so heavily on my business. If this gets better, we can expand our business and create jobs. From a personal standpoint, I am hoping for a growing and healthy economy that will positively impact the value of mine and my husband’s retirement accounts and property so we can look forward to financial security in our retirement.”
HEALTH CARE Deidra Brady, 48, a sales manager from Broadway, N.C.
“I’m technically not married, but (my partner and I have) been together for 14 years, and I’m technically an employee of his company just so I can get health care, because you can’t get health care. My deductible is $10,000, which is outrageous. If we can get competition going, there will be lower health care (costs), and I’m all for that. You can make all the money in the world, but it’s just outrageous. I know people paying a fourth of their income every month for insurance. They’re going without. They’re going to Mexico to buy medicines. That’s taking away from our economy all the way around.”
Ken Cornacchione, 65, a financial consultant from Venice, Fla.
“I would like for President Trump and Congress to make health care affordable and to provide a variety of coverages, ranging from high-deductible to ‘first-dollar’ plans. In addition, I would like to see coordinated tax reform and fiscal management to achieve a stimulated economy, reduction of our $20 trillion debt and reduction of government handouts so that those in need and not capable of working full time are beneficiaries, whereas those capable of working have a reduction in government handouts.”
TAKE CARE OF VETS Tara Kimble, 61, a disabled veteran from Breaux Bridge, La.
“I need him to get the VA straight. They’re in disarray, completely. I’m a veteran and so is my husband. He was (in) during the Vietnam era, and I was in Desert Storm era. I haven’t been able to see my doctor since March, and my appointment is not until May — and that’s my primary care doctor.”
Patricia Shomion, 57, a retiree from Mount Gilead, Ohio
“I’m a Vietnam-era veteran of the Air Force, and I get my health care through the VA. It’s got problems. The wait-list time is astronomical now. To get to the next appointment, it might take you five months. I twisted my knee in November. I got seen in the last part of December, and I got a shot then into my knee. It wore off about a month ago, and my new Anne-Marie Smith, 61, a computer analyst from Monsey, N.Y.
“The economy is very important to me because I’m getting ready to retire, and I certainly hope he doesn’t touch Social Security and ensures that the economy is stable. Then I’ll be fine. If the economy tanks again, then I will be one of those retired people who could lose a substantial portion of my retirement benefits. To me, hopefully his business acumen will benefit the nation, and it will continue to be strong. It’s funny: Nothing ever happens quickly. Nothing. What we’re seeing now — oh, the Dow hit 20,000. That’s the result of (Barack) Obama. It has nothing to do with Trump. So you have to make sure the credit goes where it came from. So I just hope that whatever he does continues the further momentum of strength in the economy, because that hits everyone.” shot is going to be given in the first week of March. That’s the earliest they could get me in. So right now, I’m in a lot of pain. How long does it take to give a shot?”
CONTROL IMMIGRATION Joe Canino, 61, a retiree from Hebron, Conn.
“I hope he can make the country safe for everyone even if it means having to lock down the borders for a while, which he has the power and the right to do. I also hope that he can build our military back to a level where we are without doubt the most powerful nation in the country. In my humble opinion, the level that the previous administration brought our Army to is too low.”
John Karr, 73, a retiree from Federal Way, Wash.
“I live in the wonderful state of Washington, in King County. The mayor of Seattle, whose only credentials for being mayor was that he was liberal and believed in global warming, has designated Seattle as a sanctuary city. Most of the people who are seeking sanctuary have no job skills except to be on welfare. I hope the Donald keeps his word about cutting funding to sanctuary cities. Also, our great governor, Jay Inslee, has stated on the news that we, as a state, will take all the Syrian refugees we can get. ... I hope the Donald can stop immigration from Muslim countries. Each and every Muslim that wants to immigrate to the U.S. of A should be given a lie detector test. If they say it violates their constitutional right, they are not a citizen and therefore have no constitutional rights. You would find out almost immediately who is radical and who isn’t.”
SAFETY IN THE STREETS Margie Chandler, 53, an IT worker from Old Monroe, Mo.
“My hope is that President Trump will bring back honor and respect to our police and men and women serving in our military. In doing so, with the police, it would make me personally feel safer when having to go downtown to work or attend events. As it stands now, criminals seem to have taken over. I can’t hardly watch the local news, and fear for my family. ... Bringing honor and respect back to our military brings in more of our best men and women and sends a message to the good guys that we are there for them but also sends a message to our enemies that we mean business and will do what is necessary to protect us and our allies.”
JoAnne Musial, 65, a retiree from Canadensis, Pa.
“Jobs, being safe, law and order.”
THE SUPREME COURT
Barney Carter, 50, a medicaldevice account manager from St. Marys, Ga.
“I expect the Trump presidency to impact my life through the nomination of Judge (Neil) Gorsuch, as well as potentially one or two more Supreme Court judges during his presidency. These nominations far outlive a president’s term and have long lasting effects on our nation.”
A NEW DIRECTION, AND MORE Jason Felts, 43, a paramedic from Galax, Va.
“I feel the country is more divided than ever. I feel the president wants to unite the country, to see people proud to be Americans. I feel there has been more race issues in the last eight years than I have witnessed before. I feel we need to be united. The other issue that affects me as a paramedic is the Affordable Care Act. The people that I take care of say there is nothing affordable about it. I feel changes must be made now to fix this problem so Americans have less fear about their health care.”
Daniel Kohn, 74, a retiree from Corpus Christi, Texas
“Being retired and financially independent, I didn’t think of the election in personal terms. I thought of it in national terms. To be honest, I was so disgusted with the previous eight years and what it was doing to this country, I thought anything the Republicans could offer would be better. A fresh new direction for our country. That pretty much covers all the bases.”