In Mid-Michigan and Thumb area, residents share hopes, doubts after Trump's first 100 days

Yahoo

30-04-2025

Outside of metro Detroit, Michiganders in the central region of the state say President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office have certainly been filled with headlines: Supporters and detractors of the president alike have described the past few months in Washington as "eventful," "exhausting" and "lively."
Stretching from the capital region to the tri-cities area in the Thumb, parts of mid-Michigan vary in their political behavior. There are Democratic enclaves that supported Kamala Harris, like Lansing and Flint, but in the wide swaths of exurban communities between cities, Trump enjoyed strong support.
The Detroit Free Press, Lansing State Journal and Center for Community Journalism - Michigan spoke with voters in the region as part of a project interviewing more than 100 Michiganders about Trump's first 100 days.
Alissa Secco, a Howell Republican and Trump voter, visited Brighton to celebrate her 42nd birthday in April. The mother of two said she's focused on the economy, particularly real estate. She said she thinks it's too soon to say whether President Donald Trump's policies are helping the country but she's confident they will. "You hear all these things … that they promised to do and they're doing it." However, she thinks the country is too divided and wants people to find ways to come together. "Even if you don't agree with (Trump's) personal things, agree with his politics, that it's good for our country."
— Dave Boucher
Bentley Folse, 50, of Brighton, would have picked President Donald Trump in 2024 if he thought it was worth his time to vote. But, now, the self-described independent who works in the remodeling business said he's concerned about tariffs. "I know the tariffs are gonna screw me over … it's just gonna cost more and take longer to get (materials). And it already takes a long time to get. And so, it's a little scary." Still, he prefers Trump over Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, since most of his clients skew toward Trump. But, overall, he thinks all politicians are out of touch.
— Dave Boucher
Gavin Stover, 24, of Flushing is a lab assistant at the University of Michigan Flint, where he's studying wildlife biology. He typically votes Democratic, though he doesn't consider himself a Democrat. He said he's exhausted by the first 100 days of President Donald Trump's second term and generally pessimistic about the rest of it. "Everything is always happening and nothing feels like it's going in the right direction," he said. "I'm just kind of like steadying myself, hoping to power through it. Just get through it. Once it's over, it's over. Hopefully."
— John Wisely
Marquis Conway, 34, of Mount Morris, works in an auto supply factory. He didn't vote in 2024 because he couldn't get to his local precinct in time. He said he intended to vote for President Donald Trump and he's generally optimistic about the future. "With him, you know what you're getting," he said. "With Kamala (Harris), that was just too much politics."
— John Wisely
Jane Gambaccini, 71, of Brighton, is an independent who leans toward the Democrats and voted for Kamala Harris in 2024. She's upset President Donald Trump "acts like a king" and believes his tariffs are making life more expensive. "Since he's come, prices have gone up more and there are less jobs." Her husband Tom Gambaccini, 72, agrees, adding he thinks Trump has pivoted away from promises to cut prices that he made during the campaign.
— Dave Boucher
Ron Galard, 60, of Brighton, is a former independent who feels like President Donald Trump has transformed the Republican Party for the better. He likes that Trump moved quickly to sign executive orders and deliver on campaign promises and he supports Trump's work to negotiate trade deals, particularly with China, which Galard said is stealing American jobs. "Most presidents kicked the can, (Trump) stomped on the can and he's putting America first," Galard said.
— Tess Ware
Deb Drick, 64, of Howell, is a lifelong Republican who is feeling very optimistic about Trump's second term. She said she would like to see him better communicate the reasons behind some of his decisions, like the tariffs. She also said she would like to see him discuss his opponents without insulting them. She supports the work of DOGE — the Department of Government Efficiency — and likes that Trump has worked quickly to start delivering on campaign promises. "If what he's done so far continues, I suspect we're going to be in real good shape."
— Tess Ware
Lew Wilson, 89, of Eaton Rapids, is a retired Michigan State Police trooper. He said he was optimistic about the way things are going. He said he wasn't concerned about the fluctuating stock market because it isn't a reflection of the economy and news about it was being overstated. He added that he was happy the undocumented immigrants who are in the country were being forced out.
— Sarah Atwood
Jerry Catlin, 78, of Lapeer, is worried and waiting for the other shoe to drop. He said he doesn't check his pension or 401(k) daily, lest he be overwhelmed with the impact of President Donald Trump's maneuvers shaking the stock market.
Catlin is worried about how the current president may change health care — he is on Medicare — and said people his age don't want to be worried about that every day. They worked all their lives putting into such funds. 'Everything the guy says is a lie,' he said of Trump.
He pointed to Trump's election promises to lower prices. And Catlin said Trump's rich friends are benefiting amid the market fluctuations. Ordinary people who can't see that are 'crazy,' he said.
'Democrats at least pretend to care about people,' he said. But then, he also said Democrats aren't doing anything to stop Trump, just 'whining.'
'Wake up America, before he crashes everything," Catlin said.
— Darcie Moran
Mike Sanchez, 45, of Charlotte, said he voted for President Donald Trump three times and would again if he was able. He said he feels great about how Trump is doing so far and it'll take a little bit of time for actions like the tariffs to have their intended effect. He's still looking for prices to go down but he understands it's "not realistic" for them to drop on day one.
— Sarah Atwood
Beckett Flint is a 51-year-old process server from Fenwick. He is troubled by President Donald Trump's interpretation of the Constitution. "Our Constitution is there for a reason and it seems to be being ignored and thrown out," he said, referring to Trump's recent talk of deporting American citizens, and other issues. "I worry that we're going to go so far down this rabbit hole of destroying the Constitution and human rights, that we can't pull ourselves back out." As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Flint, who is a transgender man, is concerned about Trump's executive orders impacting transgender people. But, ultimately, he said, "it's the Constitution. Secondary is rights of all of ours. Not just gay rights, not just trans rights, but the rights of all U.S. citizens … and immigrants coming in that want to be U.S. citizens. … We should be protected."
— Georgea Kovanis
Perry Blackwell, 32, of Port Huron, is a factory worker who said he typically supports Republicans. He said he strongly supported President Donald Trump's stance on tariffs, believing they will help "wean" the United States off of foreign products. "I was a supporter of the tariffs," Blackwell said. "We need more factories here and the only way to do that is to jack up the prices."
— Johnathan Hogan
Robert Crull, 45, of Fort Gratiot Township, is unemployed and lives off of disability. He has always supported Republicans, stating he hopes the party continues to hold the White House in years to come. Crull said he was supportive of President Donald Trump's immigration and economic policies, believing the president will bring down prices. "I voted for Trump … to help the economy," Crull said.
— Johnathan Hogan
Pamela Culler, 70, of Kawkawlin Township, is a retired school bus driver and dispatcher who said she has voted to send President Donald Trump to the White House three times. So far, she said she likes what she's seeing from his second term, including his tariffs. 'I think he's doing great. He's on fire, he really is,' she said. Culler expressed hope that both prices will come down and more stuff will be made in the U.S. under Trump. Is there anything she doesn't like about the president? 'Well, we could do without his antics sometimes. I'm not fond of that,' she said, laughing. 'He needs to be a little more couth, you know? He's crude sometimes. Other than that? Eh, he's got a big ego. But I'll take it. He's better than what we've had.'
— Clara Hendrickson
Talking about what he thinks President Donald Trump has gotten right so far came easily to Trump supporter Alan Romig, 69, of Bay City, who gave a one-word answer: 'Everything.' But there's still more the retired mechanical engineer said he wants to see from the Trump administration. 'I'd like to see more of the corrupt politicians prosecuted,' he said. His list included some Democrats. But he didn't stop there. 'There's a lot of dirty Republicans,' he said. Asked about Trump policies he expects to impact him personally, Romig called out the president's tax plan. Does he think he'll keep more money in his pocket? No. 'I don't think I'll have any less,' he said.
— Clara Hendrickson
Sherry Pfenninger, 69, of Bay City, said she's tired of hearing politicians pledging to usher in changes on the campaign trail only to fall short once elected. But, she said, President Donald Trump is different because, so far, he has followed through on his promises to voters. She said she likes what billionaire Trump aide Elon Musk has done with his Department of Government Efficiency. 'I feel so much better that we're seeing where our tax money is going,' she said. 'There's a lot of, I think, bloating in the federal government and I think we need to, just like any business — just like my own household — we need to scale down.'
She said she wants to see more onshoring and the creation of good jobs. 'Not just mediocre like we've been kind of pushed into,' she said.
— Clara Hendrickson
President Donald Trump isn't perfect, said Erica Rodriguez, 45, of Midland. But she said she feels like he has learned from his first term in the White House. 'He went in very, I guess, naive, and he said the second time around, 'I know the game now,' ' she said. 'He was already getting his party — everybody — ready so that he can come in guns blazing.'
Rodriguez said she's retired now but worked as a probation officer in California — a state she labeled as corrupt — before she moved to Michigan. While she said she aligns most closely with the Republican Party, she expressed an openness to supporting Democratic policies if she thinks they're better than the GOP option. 'I don't just support everything blindly. There's corruption in both parties,' Rodriguez said. But she said she doesn't like the Democrats' attacks against Trump's actions, saying he's just trying to protect the U.S.
— Clara Hendrickson
Cody Lawrence, 37, of Bay City, is a fan of President Donald Trump. 'I like that he's not a politician, and a businessman. He can relate more to just the everyday person, I guess, too. Even though we're not all billionaires,' said Lawrence, a part-time musician, who also does demo and remodeling jobs. He called out what he sees as misleading information about Trump's actions before saying he thinks tariffs could result in a manufacturing boom in the area where he lives. Lawrence likes some of the actions Trump has taken on former President Joe Biden's policies, specifically calling out an order Trump signed to reverse Biden's phase-out of single-use plastic straws. 'He's kind of getting it back to normalcy again,' Lawrence said.
— Clara Hendrickson
Asher Reese, 30, of Lansing, fears the United States is slipping into fascism. At a protest in Troy, he held a sign reading "End fascism before it ends you," and said he fears the Trump team isn't fit to lead the country. "(President Donald Trump is) incompetent in terms of who he's put in the cabinets," Reese said. "He just kind of feels like winging it, you know, doing his own thing, not actually doing anything for the people like he's supposed to be."
But if there's optimism to be found, Reese said he sees it in protests and local elections. "I feel pessimistic for the presidency and really government in general but I do feel optimistic in the sense of what I have seen with the protests, but also some recent elections; red districts and all that have been either flipping blue or leaning more towards blue or more kind of purplish, right?" he said.
— Liam Rappleye
Thomas Koliouplous, 36, of Howell, described President Donald Trump's first 100 days as lively, with a lot of things going on. "It's not necessarily bad, it's not necessarily good," he said. But he does believe the president is headed toward "what seems to be a good future."
— Kristi Tanner
This series was reported by: Dana Afana, Lily Altavena, Sarah Atwood, Tresa Baldas, Duante Beddingfield, Dave Boucher, Lisa Vidaurri Bowling, Jackie Charniga, Natalie Davies, Paul Egan, Eric Guzman, Christina Hall, Brad Heineman, Clara Hendrickson, Brendel Hightower, Johnathan Hogan, Violet Ikonomova, Cassidey Kavathas, Georgea Kovanis, Jamie L. LaReau, Eric D. Lawrence, Arpan Lobo, Keith Matheny, Sarah Moore, Darcie Moran, David Rodriguez Muñoz, Corey J. Murray, David Panian, Jenna Prestininzi, Nour Rahal, Nushrat Rahman, Liam Rappleye, Don Reid, Adrienne Roberts, Andrea May Sahouri, Beki San Martin, Susan Selasky, Kristen Jordan Shamus, Scott Talley, Kristi Tanner, Connor Veenstra, Tess Ware, Niraj Warikoo, Jalen Williams, John Wisely, Suzanne Nolan Wisler and Frank Witsil.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: In Mid-Michigan, Thumb area, voters get candid on Trump's 1st 100 days