'I feel like a dummy': Trump supporter forced sell car amid economic woes

Arizona's Chris Martinez, a 28-year-old maintenance technician, has had to make major adjustments to his life to navigate President Donald Trump's economy.

The affordability crisis hit him hard. He told the International Business Times "he had to return one of his vehicles to his lender" after fuel prices rose so much that he had to cut costs.

He'd hoped a vote for Trump would mean a better economy.

"He's doing nothing for us, to benefit us," Martinez told the Associated Press. "And it kind of sucks because I got duped and I feel like a dummy."

Gas prices keep rising, despite Trump's new "deal" with Russia to buy enough diesel to cover about half of an average day in the U.S. Fuel prices are set by global commodity markets, refining costs, distribution and other external factors, such as a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

For people like Martinez, who use their vehicles for work, a price spike can squeeze an already difficult economy. He also said that he's switched to shopping at a discount supermarket.

"An AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll published on 1 October found that 65 percent of US adults believed higher-than-usual prices were the result of Trump's policies. Another 69 percent said his handling of the cost of living had been worse than expected," the IBT cited.

Jose Montalvo, a 47-year-old trucker, similarly said of Trump, "I blame him for the fuel side of things."

During Trump's first term, he inherited an improving economy after a horrific economic crash. His policies during that term weren't dramatic. Trump had slightly fewer job gains in his first two years than former President Barack Obama did in his last two years. Trump tried to push through tax cuts, but the big promises of what they would deliver never materialized. Some economists attributed part of the stronger job growth in 2018 to a temporary stimulus alongside "a strong global economy," Politifact explained.

It all collapsed with the pandemic and Trump suffered a net loss of approximately 2.7 million jobs. The years that followed were about another president trying to clean up the mess. Slowly, it improved. Factories were being rebuilt and the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 helped expand American semiconductor production.

That gave Trump ongoing construction activity and future openings he could point to as economic successes. Manufacturing construction spending rose about 212 percent during Biden’s four years, partly fueled by the CHIPS Act. An industry economist told FactCheck.org that manufacturing construction spending in 2025 was “largely due” to that legislation.

Now it's falling apart again under Trump's second term. This time around, however, Martinez and others like him appear to recognize the source of their suffering.