Trump Voters Now

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Politics U.S.

By Julia Harte, National Affairs correspondent

Since Donald Trump's stunning comeback to the U.S. presidency, he has wasted no time trying to reshape the United States even more dramatically than during his first term. But what do the Americans who voted for him think about his efforts to upend established policies on trade, immigration, education and more?

I'm Julia Harte, a National Affairs correspondent for Reuters, and since February I've spoken each month with 20 Trump voters around the country to try to answer that question. I'll be filing periodic multimedia dispatches about this group as we head into the 2026 midterm elections, which will determine if Trump's fellow Republicans keep control of Congress.

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The View from Trumpland

Most of the 20 voters I'm following fall somewhere between diehard support and full-blown regret. They mostly like Trump's signature stances, such as tougher border control, but have qualms about some of his most extreme policies and attempts to stretch presidential authority, or the way he belittles his opponents.

Texas stay-at-home mother Loretta Torres, 38, said she "likes the way he portrays himself as being a strong leader." By contrast, Iowa-based Army veteran Lou Nunez, 83, says he was horrified by Trump's downsizing of the federal workforce, or, as he put it, "The way they went in there and just chopped people away."

They have mixed opinions on Trump's tax-and-spending bill, which was headed toward a final yes-or-no vote in the House of Representatives on Thursday. Will Brown, 20, a student at the University of Wisconsin who hopes to work in finance, said he supports it because "extending the tax cuts of 2017 forever would be huge." Michigan-based pilot Terry Alberta, 64, said the bill includes a lot that he likes, but there's also "a lot of pork and excess, which is mildly frustrating."

Other voters in the group have begun to doubt Trump's actions after seeing their effects on loved ones. In Utah, Lesa Sandberg, 57, has been "on the Trump train" for a decade and liked his plan to close the Education Department. Sandberg grew alarmed, however, when cuts at the agency hindered her daughter-in-law from paying off her student loans.

Some of the group's most widely held views may surprise you. Although the voters largely admire Trump's immigration policies, many say they would like to see a clearer legal immigration pathway for aspiring Americans who are law-abiding and want to contribute to the U.S. economy.

The group is not a statistically representative portrait of all Trump voters. But their ages, educational backgrounds, races/ethnicities, locations and voting histories roughly correspond to those of Trump's overall electorate.

Economic Concerns

Describing their concerns, these 20 voters most often cite the economic uncertainty triggered by Trump's federal cuts and trade tariffs. That tracks with the latest Reuters/Ipsos findings, which show Trump polling below his overall approval rating on the economy, and above it on immigration.

In April, when asked which of Trump's policies had most impacted them in his first 100 days, most voters cited his tariffs. Florida-based promotional product distributor Steve Egan, 64, said the tariffs on China had prompted his clients to pause orders for everything from hats to poker chips to 5,000 rubber ducks after the per-unit costs jumped overnight.

Egan's first-quarter sales this year were down 70% from 2024. He said he regrets his vote for Trump: "Now I sit here and go, 'Who else do we have to choose from?'"

Other voters affected by the tariffs had more faith that Trump's approach would ultimately enrich them, however. "I'm trying to see the bigger picture, that it's not just about me," said Ron Dailey, 63, a salesman at a Colorado auto dealership whose retirement portfolio took a hit after Trump's initial tariff announcements.

One takeaway from these voters so far is that Trump will have to show real U.S. economic gains if he wants to retain the support he currently enjoys from them.

Trump voters still like what they see in the president

Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way Trump is handling his job as president?

Follow Reuters/Ipsos polling on the president's approval ratings here.

The view from Ukraine

A decision by Washington to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine prompted warnings by Kyiv that the move would weaken its ability to defend against intensifying airstrikes and battlefield advances. All weapons aid was briefly stopped in February, with a second, longer halt in March. A Ukrainian source told Reuters that Trump may speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday.

What to watch for

July 3: Trump holds a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, to kick off celebrations marking America's 250th anniversary next year
July 4: Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend a military family picnic and Independence Day celebration at the White House
July 9: Trump will host leaders from five African nations at the White House to discuss "commercial opportunities." Also the deadline Trump set for countries to negotiate trade deals with the U.S.

The who, what and when

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