Washington, DC - Trump supporters from across the nation share their thoughts on biggest misconceptions about them and whether they would ever stop supporting the president.
According to the USA TODAY Trump Voter Panel, Americans who voted for the president haven't wavered in support despite the latest White House scandals. USA TODAY Opinion recently asked supporters of President Trump to share what are some common misconceptions about them and what (if anything) the president could do to lose their support:
My voice was forgotten
I live in Newark, Del., with my two sons, who have special needs, and my husband, who is a manufacturer. I believe our voices are part of those forgotten Americans whom President Trump touched during the 2016 election. For years, it had been such a tough road with stagnant wages, a one-income household and two boys who need a substantial amount of care. Along came Donald Trump.
Trump spoke about what was real and what real people such as my family were facing. 2016 was a long and brutal election, but my husband and I never wavered in our support of Trump. And to this day, we still remain the same.
Being a Trump supporter gets you labeled as a racist and every other type of "ist" classification you can think of. This could not be further from the truth. We are a hardworking family who live for our two beautiful boys. People can make their assumptions about our beliefs, and label us, but it is the ones who label who are the truly ignorant and closed-minded individuals.
I don't think that there is anything that Trump could do to lose our support. We believe in his agenda and vision for our country, and we have no reason to doubt him. He is still learning the ways of Washington, and we believe he deserves the chance to lead.
Angela Wilson; Newark, Del.
Trump is delivering
From giving our military the flexibility and tools to wipe the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria off the map, to reshaping the judiciary for a generation, President Trump has delivered on my expectations. I voted for Trump to accelerate economic growth, boost median wages, and restore American strength.
I do wish our politics less resembled trench warfare, but Trump bears far less responsibility than a weaponized, partisan news media that never gave him a chance. While I see a president whose actions have been fair and compassionate, many of my fellow gay Americans harbor an unfounded fear he will usurp their rights. I hope reality trumps these fears. Time and time again — whether it be leaving the Paris climate deal or implementing the travel ban — Trump has governed on behalf of citizens, not global interests. I’m proud of my vote and proud of America’s president.
Scott Ruesterholz; New York
I knew the country needed a different approach to governance, and Trump was the man to shake things up. He had the business acumen and the "take no prisoners" attitude we desperately needed.
Trump's a fighter. He doesn't back down and keeps moving forward with the agenda. The idea that, as Van Jones so ignorantly stated, a vote for Trump was "whitelash" ... not likely.
Trump would have to do something quite egregious, as president, for me to relinquish my support. What he did or did not do in his personal life before becoming president is mostly irrelevant.
Frank Ruvolo; Ely, Nev.
It's not about his moral backbone
People think that just because I support Trump I’m a racist who hates minorities, but honestly, I support him because I wouldn’t feel as secure in this country if Hillary Clinton had been elected.
There are a number of things that would make me stop supporting Trump, but so far the main reasons for my dissipating support is his incessant childish tweeting and his travel bans.
Wyatt Leonard; Henderson, Nev.
I initially backed Trump because he brought a fresh new wave of no-nonsense politics that America has been devoid of for the past eight years. Trump’s fiery rhetoric and use of blatant language was quite funny and believable.
When confronted by "never Trumpers" or Democrats, the most common misconception is that I am either a racist, a white supremacist, sexist or anti-immigrant. These occur due to Trump’s lack of moral character. However, I didn’t support him for his morals, but for the actions he would take as president.
Since the 2016 election, I have seen nothing but intolerance from Democrats and liberals regarding someone’s political opinion. It only adds to the polarization of our society and even our youth.
God Bless the United States of America
Will Walley; Brandon, Miss.
Trump grew on me
I did not back Trump until the general election. I voted for Trump because Clinton was totally unacceptable as a candidate for any office.
I will stop supporting Trump when he stops fighting the cancerous bureaucracy and insane progressives. No media attacks will sway me. When both political parties and the mainstream media conspired to delegitimize Tea Party organizations, that led me directly to Trump.
Bruce A. Abbott; Franklin, Maine
After Trump became the nominee for the Republican Party, I was a solid supporter. More than anything, I support Trump because he seems to like America and Americans. He gets along easily with a wide range of Americans, and he seems to get along well with foreign leaders, while never denigrating our country or our people.
Trump doesn't seem to play to identity politics. Even the immigration issue is phony because even some immigrants who came here legally are in favor of actual border enforcement. America seemed to be heading toward a civil breakdown under President Obama. Everyone felt it. Now, the only people looking for a revolution are the "never Trump" obstructionists.
It would be hard to imagine what Trump could do to lose my support. Trump should continue to work on the issues he campaigned on. I can only lose support for Trump when a better alternative presents itself. I don't know who that could be.
Rick Nestoff; Broadview Heights, Ohio
I am a Republican, though these days I’m totally fed up with the party. Trump wasn’t my choice for president, but lo and behold, he won the nomination. At that point I knew I’d vote for him. To be honest, I was shocked when he won, happy but shocked.
As time went on I’m become much happier with my vote and I support Trump. I love that he is the first president in a long time who really supports Israel. Not just because I’m Jewish, but also because Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East.
Initially, I was upset with his tweets, now I love them.
I don’t like the fact that he signed the omnibus (budget) bill, but I’m even angrier at Congress for passing such a bill. But that certainly isn’t enough to make me not vote for Trump again. He is making America great again and I love it.
Leah Kabaker; Los Angeles
We needed a disruption
I support, and still do to an extent, Trump because I was tired of seeing the same old politics. I am tired of the facade politicians put up. Now, does that mean Trump also isn't this way? No, not at all. In fact, he is probably one of the worst ones we've had in this sense — especially with the collusion with the Russians story.
What I am hoping as an American, and what I think many others wanted, was to bring back that sense to the government that the people are in control. That we can still mess up the system if we don't agree with it — just like the Founding Fathers sought to do after the American Revolution. I take pride in being an American and I especially like my sense of identity, that the individual doesn't need the government to help us live.
What has kept my support — although it wanes everyday — is that he is causing so much disruption in the political system that it will spark interest in government for everyday citizens. My hope is that this will show people how bad things get when we choose not to vote, or not to pay attention to current issues.
Seth Moore; Canal Winchester, Ohio
Trump was not my choice in the primaries. In fact, he was my least favorite. However, when compared with Clinton, he was the best choice.
Though I cringe every time I hear that Trump has tweeted something, I basically agree with him on many issues. There are so many issues (including rebuilding the economy and fighting opioid addiction) and I believe that Trump has the right people addressing them. Every so often, I do not agree with him on certain policy matters, but basically I still support his efforts to make improvements to our country.
Steve Hackett; Concord, Calif.
He wasn’t Clinton. Trump has handled the Middle East and North Korea masterfully. As I knew he would, he opened the throttle on the U.S. economy. He has also handled Russia correctly, economically and otherwise. He has been a goddamned prodigy so far.
People who are serious about history understand how unprecedented this president is. The first man to get into the Oval Office without owing anyone anything can and will do great things. We will probably not see another like him.
He hasn’t put a foot wrong on anything of consequence, but of course I would stop supporting him if he actually started displaying real, actual examples of the bad behavior he is continually accused of. Every time someone calls him on some supposed faux pas and tries to brand him an amateur, he turns out to have handled the situation correctly, after all. He’s quite a good president already.
Michael Bolduc; Pflugerville, Texas