President Donald Trump was catapulted to the White House for a second term by a diverse, working-class coalition.
asserted
Trump → catapult → coalition
Many people in this powerful bloc, from gen Z men to Latinos and evangelical Christians, backed the president's America First agenda in 2024.
But two years into his second term, his approval ratings have plummeted and there are signs his support in these groups is crumbling.
asserted
support → back → groups
While the president's personal brand is still considered strong among his MAGA base, Mr Trump's name will not appear on any ballots at the US midterm elections this week.
asserted
name → consider → elections
The ABC spoke to several voters from key demographics who backed Mr Trump last time, to see whether his Republican Party would get their support on Tuesday, or whether they had changed their minds.
asserted
they → speak → minds
LoadingLatinos
Donald Trump won Celia Salmerón's vote in 2024 with promises to bring down the cost of living.
asserted
Trump → win → living
Two years on, the 58-year-old hairdresser deeply regrets her choice.
asserted
hairdresser → regret → choice
"He promised to give us money.
asserted
He → promise → money
But he didn't give us anything.
asserted
he → give → anything
What he gave us this time was problems," she said.
asserted
she → give → ?
"Ever since Trump came in, I have been bankrupt.
asserted
I → come → ?
I have lost everything; my house, my car.
asserted
I → lose → house
I can't pay my credit cards.
asserted
I → pay → cards
Celia, a permanent US resident who immigrated from El Salvador as a child, runs a modest salon in a working class Maryland neighbourhood home to a large Hispanic population.
asserted
who → immigrate → population
Many of her clients are undocumented immigrants, some with pending asylum claims.
uncertain
Many → pende → claims
Two weeks before the ABC's visit, an ICE operation saw a barber a few shops down from Celia's violently detained by agents.
asserted
barber → see → agents
Celia says the shopping complex where her salon is located was once bustling, but not anymore.
asserted
salon → say → ?
"It's as though the devil came here to the United States to govern.
asserted
devil → come → States
Because only the devil governs that way, with cruelty and evil," she said.
asserted
she → govern → cruelty
"If I had known this man was going to behave this way, I would not have voted for him.
asserted
I → know → him
And I regret voting for him.
asserted
I → regret → him
Mr Trump made significant gains among Latino voters in 2024, with multiple polls indicating his support increased from 32 per cent at the 2020 presidential election to 48 per cent four years later.
But there are indications of a massive reversal now, with a recent New York Times/Sienna poll giving Democrats a 30-point lead among the diverse voting bloc.
asserted
poll → make → bloc
| How does Celia rate Trump?
asserted
Celia → rate → Trump
When Donald Trump shared an AI-generated image of himself depicted as Jesus Christ in April, Jon Edwards was shocked.
asserted
Edwards → share → April
"That was a dumb thing to do … it was way out of line," the student minister said from a born-again Baptist church outside Atlanta, Georgia.
asserted
minister → do → Atlanta
The president later deleted it, but the backlash had been begun, offending many Christians who form the bedrock of his Republican base.
asserted
who → delete → base
The president has placed faith and religious freedom at the heart of his administration, even appointing a White House spiritual advisor, which is a move Jon has welcomed.
But the 31-year-old isn't convinced of the authenticity of Mr Trump's faith.
asserted
old → place → faith
"He'll stand before God one day and have to give an answer to his claims … that's between the two of them," Jon said.
uncertain
Jon → stand → them
Religion has emerged as an increasingly prominent theme in the midterm elections, with a record number of faith leaders running as Democrats on federal and state offices.
asserted
Religion → emerge → offices
Evangelical Christians have remained one of the president's most loyal supporters, although polling shows signs that support may be beginning to soften.
uncertain
support → remain → signs
While Jon has been uncomfortable with the aggressive tactics used by ICE, he remains broadly positive of the president's second crack at the White House and does not regret voting for him at the 2024 presidential election.
"There's a lot of the promises that he made on the trail that I'm seeing come to fruition," Jon said, pointing to his crackdown on transgenderism and immigration.
asserted
Jon → use → transgenderism
But the 31-year-old's vote is far from certain, having swung between Republican and Democratic candidates in the past.
asserted
vote → swing → past
This midterms, he's leaning towards Georgia's Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff, whose campaign spoke to his values.
asserted
campaign → lean → values
| How does Jon rate Trump?
asserted
Jon → rate → Trump
| |
|---|---|
| First term: | C |
| Second term: | B+ |
| "He did better this time around.
asserted
He → do → ?
I think there's a lot more political maturity and savvy."
asserted
I → think → ?
|
MAHA mums
Tricia Busch has already battled cancer twice and undergone a stem cell transplant.
asserted
Busch → battle → transplant
In the aftermath of her health crises, and the COVID-19 pandemic, she began paying close attention to America's health and environmental policies.
asserted
she → begin → policies
She threw her support behind the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement and its leader Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
He promised to rein in vaccines (something that has been criticised by a majority of medical experts) and remove toxic chemicals from the country's food system.
asserted
that → throw → system
"I wish I would have never voted and never wasted my time with it," she said, adding she felt betrayed by Mr Trump's administration.
asserted
she → wish → administration
"We're still having all our food getting sprayed with chemicals," she said.
asserted
she → have → chemicals
…and 61 more, not listed.
The Aporia
