REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
Some supporters of President Donald Trump are feeling the pinch of his faltering economy and likely will be cutting back on purchases this Black Friday and Cyber Monday, reports NBC News.
Trump voters in Warren, Michigan, where Trump has held multiple rallies — most notably to celebrate his first 100 days in office in April 2025, and during the 2024 election campaign, are hopeful that policies "will soon bring prosperity," but right now, NBC reports, things are tough.
James Klotz, an 84-year-old Vietnam veteran, blames former President Joe Biden for his struggles and says, "next year, when the beautiful bill goes into effect, things are going to get back more to normal, I believe."
It was here, in Warren, where Trump told locals at an April rally, "In the next fiscal year, it will all be done. We will end inflation, slash prices — we’ve already ended inflation — raise wages, and give you the greatest economy in the history of the world. That’s already happening. With our tax bill, the average family’s take-home pay will be at least $5,000 more than it was just a couple of months ago."
Residents of Macomb County, Michigan, where Warren is located, used to identify as Reagan Democrats, NBC explains. And they are unimpressed by Trump's empty promises.
"The economic turnaround Trump predicted hasn't happened — at least not yet," NBC notes.
Riduan Rafique, who is unemployed, tells NBC that the economy is holding him back on what are two of the biggest shopping days in the country,
"You know, people usually have, like, a list of things they want to purchase on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, you know, but that’s — I’m not trying to spend too much money at the moment," he tells NBC.
“Working-class people, middle-class people, they’re having a hard time just keeping up with the mortgage, keeping up with the groceries, keeping up with daily life,” says Rafique, who did not vote in the presidential election.
"There’s still a price in increase of inflation year to year, which is affecting, like, people’s budgets," he adds.
Retired truck driver Ray Rosati, who voted for Trump last year and still supports him because of his immigration policies, agrees that the struggle is real.
"I'm paying like, $300 a month just for dog food. I thought gas prices would be a lot lower than what they are now, but they seem to be lagging," Rosati says. "With all the 'Drill, Baby, Drill' rhetoric, I thought that, you know, maybe they'd be lower by now."
Retired mechanic Earl Lechler, also a Trump voter, says the economy is pushing him to look at voting against other Republican incumbents.
"I'm half-tempted to vote for somebody new that hasn't been in there, just because I think we need new blood in there," he says.