Donald Trump won the election last month with a large, unlikely coalition. As has often been the case historically with such coalitions, it was inevitable that there would be tension within it.
The Barstool bro/podcast crowd, so often mentioned as a key Trump bloc, have very different interests and goals than the Christian right. Some on the right want smaller government, while others want activist government to punish their enemies. As we saw this week, there’s major tension between the side of the Trump coalition with business leaders who want access to H1B visas, and the side of nativists who want to restrict immigration from places like India. Which is to say nothing of Trump supporters who back Israel and those among Arab-Americans in Michigan.
These low-income Trump voters hope he doesn’t slash their benefits – after they said they voted for him to improve the economy and curb inflation. Nice story. https://t.co/HdqV4pgDjV
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) December 26, 2024
Eventually, Trump is going to have to choose which side he’s on when it comes to these issues, and risk angering the other side of them.
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There’s another example: low-income voters who supported Trump, but don’t want to see their benefits cut. That’s the subject of a new story in The Washington Post.
The Post visited a small town in Western Pennsylvania, New Castle, and spoke to Trump supporters.
“He is more attuned to the needs of everyone instead of just the rich,” 55-year-old Lori Mosura, who voted for Trump after previously mostly supporting Democrats, told the newspaper. “I think he knows it’s the poor people that got him elected, so I think Trump is going to do more to help us.”
“You can’t wipe out half of the population” of New Castle, another resident, Kathy Davis, told the newspaper. “We are old and tired and just want to be taken care of, and Trump has too much common sense, so I don’t think he is going to do anything to hurt us.”
🤦🏻♂️ 🤦🏼♀️ 🤦🏾♀️https://t.co/prYaayvxzh pic.twitter.com/qFMmXo77fI
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) December 26, 2024
But with the Elon Musk-led DOGE threatening trillions in spending cuts — and Musk already pushing successfully to block a spending deal in the lame-duck session — something seemingly has to give.
“Low-income Americans who voted for Trump say they are counting on him to keep their benefits intact even while his Cabinet picks and Republican lawmakers call on him to reduce federal spending,” the Post story said.
Trump, for his part, has promised not to cut Social Security, but has made no such promises about Medicare, Medicaid or food stamps.
“Americans of all backgrounds elected President Trump because of his plans to lower costs, end the financial drain of illegal immigrants on our health-care system, and ensure that our country can continue to care for American citizens who rely on Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security,” a Trump transition team spokesperson said.
“It’s a very depressed area, so if our funding were to go away, and I have not heard it will, but if it were to go, we would be some in serious, serious trouble,” Gregg Paladina, superintendent of the New Castle Area School District, told the Post.
One local Republican official made a comment that’s typical in this type of situation: Seeing government money for other people as “waste.”
“Trump won’t cut necessary programs, and nowhere has he said he is cutting any of that,” Lynne Ryan, chairwoman of the Lawrence County Republican Party, told the Post. “He is cutting bloated government. He is not cutting programs that work for the American people.”
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
