Ohio voters feel betrayed after factory closure: 'I regret in a way voting for Trump'

When General Motors (GM) announced it would be closing its gargantuan plant in Lordstown, Ohio, many of President Donald Trump's supporters were left staggered and outraged by his failure to deliver on his promise to revitalize America's manufacturing sector — a promise he'd made repeatedly during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Now, many Ohioans are questioning why they even voted for Trump while others are outwardly admitting that they regret voting for him at all. An op-ed published to The Guardian highlights accounts from multiple Trump supporters who were impacted by the closure of the 6.2 million square foot assembly plant. Before the coronavirus pandemic, Trisha Amato ran the "transition center" that was designed to assist laid-off GM workers dealing with the aftermath of losing their jobs. She shared details about the challenges she faced watching those who struggled to pick up the pieces.

"Some of my hardest days of the last few years came when everybody left," Amato told me. "They had to sell their houses."

According to the publication, hundreds of laid-off GM workers were forced into the last-resort option of leaving Lordstown and relocating "to take jobs at GM plants in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas – all so that they could continue receiving good United Auto Workers (UAW) wages (around $30 an hour) and accrue additional years toward their pensions."

Others also went the extra mile to hold on to their jobs opting to keep their families in Lordstown while commuting to other states to work. Despite their efforts, Amato admits "It's all just a mess."

Tammy Vennetti, a 2016 Trump supporter who worked at the plant for over 25 years, admitted that she is still upset about the president's speech in Youngstown, Ohio which has since fallen flat due to the plant closure.

"I regret in a way voting for Trump. I really do," Venetian said, adding, "He promised that nobody was going to have to sell their homes. He said they [GM] were going to stay. That's why I can't vote for him this year."

When asked whom she backed in 2016, Amato nervously admitted that she, too, backed Trump saying, "I backed Trump. I thought he stood for more of what I stood for."

So why did she vote for Trump? Like many voters, Amato said that she believed Trump could offer something different simply because he was no a career politician.

"They felt he was the lesser of two evils," Amato said. The sentiment was, "Let's not have a lifetime politician in there. Let's get some change."

Now, with the closure of the GM plant, Lordstown is nearly an economic ghost town. That was something voters were hoping Trump could change.

"Since so many of the steel mills closed, there isn't much here economically," Amato added. "They were hoping or praying that Trump would bring something here."