Reply to Explain to me why Trump supporters directly hurt by his policies still support him

Forum Index » Political Discussion

Reply to "Explain to me why Trump supporters directly hurt by his policies still support him - WVA edition"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I cannot understand this mindset.

Biden was going to pour billions into WVA for new infrastructure projects, reviving dead communities.   People in WVA were excited about the prospect of turning WVA around.

Then came Trump and DOGE, and axed the funding.  SNAP, medicaid.. all cut.

Yet, folks in WVA blame "both parties" but not Trump directly.

I do not understand their thinking.  The only thing I can think of is that they are under the influence of a cult leader who can do no wrong.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/29/trump-coal-country

[quote]Rural communities in Appalachia were on the verge of breaking ground on projects when the grants were paused or terminated by the so-called “department of government efficiency”, or Doge, led by the billionaire Trump donor Elon Musk. The wholesale cull included the $3bn Environmental and Climate Justice Program created in the IRA to tackle the climate crisis and environmental harms at a local level.

The cuts have deepened existing mistrust in government, known colloquially as Appalachian fatalism, yet many of those interviewed by the Guardian blame Washington politics generally rather than Trump.

“This party [Rs]  has taken away that funding from Appalachia illegally: that’s the stone-cold fact. But by the time those facts reach communities on the ground, it’s just so muddy. I think some are asking questions about why training is being shut down and why they didn’t get their Snap [food assistance] benefits, but where they’ll find the answers is the big issue,” said Hannah.

Trump has won big in West Virginia in the past three general elections, securing every county in 2024 with an average of 70% of the vote – the highest percentage any party has won in the state’s history. His vote share was even larger in rural counties including Clay and Wayne, which Huntington straddles.[/quote]

I guess they don't understand that it was Trump, not the R party, who cut the funding, and that it's better to stick it to the libs than want your state leaders to support policies that will actually help your state rather than hurt it.  That's quite a "cut off my entire face to spite my entire being" attitude.

This is why people call MAGA a cult.[/quote]

Do you want a real answer?

People vote on much more than discrete policy issues.  People vote based on identity, political ideology, and of course values.

This is true of voters across the political spectrum and it is actually a good thing that voters aren’t so easily bought.

In West Virginia’s case it has historically bounced between the parties in presidential elections, which is more than can be said of some states/regions.

Additionally, if you actually think Biden’s policies would have “revived dead communities,” you need your head checked.

Ingrained poverty and social issues don’t have simple solutions, whether in rural WV or DC, so it was never really a choice between a somehow revived West Virginia and the status quo. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics