© 2024 Maine Public | Registered 501(c)(3) EIN: 22-3171529
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Scroll down to see all available streams.

Maine Trump Supporters Take Stock, One Year In

Abukar Adan
/
Maine Public

Saturday marks the one-year anniversary since President Donald Trump was officially sworn into office. Here in Maine, Trump carried Maine's 2nd Congressional District, where he beat Hillary Clinton by a solid 10 percentage points.  We wondered how voters there are feeling about him now, and what they want to see going forward.

Arthur Chappell, Rumford

“I voted for Trump. The reasons why are because he’s strict, he can get the job done. No other president will

do what he does.  He tried to stop this free trade overseas. More jobs coming into the states. We need jobs. A lot of factories got to come back, basically, where we can get it back. And I don’t see right now that that’s gonna happen, but as long as he’s trying his best to get jobs back.  I like him.  He’s strict, he tells it like it is. A lot of Democrats do not like him because they want him out of office.  They’ve been trying to get rid of him for a long time, and he ain’t gonna step down.”

Monique Devlin, Lewiston.

monique_devlin_fixed_mix.mp3
Hear Monique Devlin.

I did not want Hillary Clinton because I believe she's just very crooked, you know - and just always seen that. I didn't like either one of them. But if I had to vote, which I did, I voted for Trump just to keep her out of office. I think he's done well, though, you know. There's been a lot of controversy about, you know, stupid things. I think that there's a lot of bad publicity. Anything he does wrong they’ll, you know, make it bigger than what it is. I think he speaks just from the mouth - he just can't control himself, you know? And I don't approve of what he's said or done in that case, you know. But he's just a man that doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut. And he's just wrong in a lot of things. But yet he's done a lot of good things, too. I wish he’d stop tweeting, that's for sure, and just go on with the business that he's supposed to take care of, and get his cabinet right, you know - get all of his ducks in order. I'd be happy to see that.

Lisa Shardlow, Dixfield

lisa_shardlow_fixed_mix.mp3
Hear Lisa Shardlow.

Credit Abukar Adan / Maine Public
/
Maine Public
Lisa Shardlow of Dixfield, left, talks to a customer at her barbershop in Mexico, ME

I've been in that group born and raised in Rumford. I've only been in Dixfield, which is just down the road, for about 10 years. So I've been here - I'm 55 years old - I've been here my whole life. I voted for Trump, yeah, because I think it was time for somebody that was not a politician, that was not in somebody’s back pocket, to get in and do what the majority of the American people want - to take back our country. When I grew up, my parents were very Democratic. My father worked in the mills - so the whole union and the whole thing. And I think I'm registered as an independent, actually. I like the fact that I personally don't have to pay the mandate for not having health insurance, because I couldn't afford the health insurance - my husband and I. I'm self-employed and he works for a golf course, and the insurance was so high for us that we couldn't afford to pay for it, and it had a $5,000 deductible on each one of us, which we never would have met. So we chose to pay the fine. I am uninsured. Yes. Yeah. And, actually, you know, it really gripes me because I just had a small surgery done on my head and I just got the bill in the mail. And I'm going, you know what? If I had that money that I paid out in fines I'd be able to pay this bill. I like the fact that he's a very shrewd businessman. I think the country should be run like a business, because I think it really is. You know, when you think of all the different things - Social Security - there's a lot of sections of the country that should be run like a business. You don't spend more than what you take in, you know - you can't keep adding to the deficit. Our deficit is absolutely ridiculous right now. And I just - I like that he's cut and dry. I like that he doesn't leave you wondering what he's thinking. He says what he thinks. Some of the things he says maybe he could say in a different way.”

Bob Bechard, Lewiston

bob_bechard_fixed_mix.mp3
Hear Bob Bechard.

Credit Abukar Adan / Maine Public
/
Maine Public
Bob Bechard of Lewiston at Simones’ Hot Dog Stand.

“Well I just felt at that time we needed change. And I was looking for more of a financial - economic changes - more jobs, better stock market. That was one of the main reasons. I just thought it was time for a change from the more liberal, you know, government-run programs, like Hillary Clinton. For the reasons I voted for him, I think he's done very well - again, you know with the job market and the stock market, and some of the things he's done with jobs. In some ways, you know, things he's done, I'm not happy with. But you're never happy 100 percent with anyone you vote for. Some of his comments, some of his tweeting. But sometimes the truth, you know, is not the best thing to do. It's really hard sometimes to really have a position on it because with so much media today you really don't know what he really said unless you see his own words. Again, that he keeps a strong job market, gets companies to move back to this country from, you know, Japan, China and other places, and that, you know, the stock market continues to grow – that’s where a lot of my concentration is. Just hope that he stays out of trouble a little bit longer.

Dwayne Giles, Drew

dwayne_giles_fixed_mix.mp3
Hear Dwayne Giles.

“It’s time for a change - we've got too many liberals running the country. And I’m a working taxpayer, you know, paying out way too much in taxes. I like the way he actually is thinking. Like I said, with the overseas stuff, and like that, we’ve been handled with kid gloves, and you've got to stop doing that. Actually, America is pretty much number one. We have the best in technology, the best of everything, and you gotta stop babying them over there. But the other thing, too, is you’ve gotta take some relief off taxpayers. We're buying, you know, way too much stuff, as far as, you know, government grants and stuff like that. Some of the things he’s actually done I believe is  pretty good. But some of the stuff you see on Facebook with him I don't know whether he's actually losing it or not, like they say. Like he is making like racial comments and stuff like that, and he's no position to do that. Well, I don't know exactly if it’s too late to build a wall between us and Mexico or not, but I know if things fail here, I might have to go down and help build the wall – look for a job somewhere.”

abukar_mos_final_mix.mp3
Trump Supporters Take Stock, One Year In

We spoke to nearly a dozen people, from five towns in Maine's 2nd District. All of them said they still support President Donald Trump. Hear more of their voices above.