He described his recent political rally in New York as a “love fest.”
But for many of Donald Trump’s voters, the feeling is far from mutual.
Several Massachusetts locals told the Boston Globe who will support the Republican candidate despite some strong reservations.
For Greg Benefit of Plymouth, Massachusetts, his main concerns are some of the “crazy things” coming out of the presidential hopeful’s mouth lately.
‘The “enemy within” kind of thing. “That’s crazy,” said Benefit, 69. ‘What are we talking about here? It sounds like he’s getting paranoid.’
Billie Cleghorn, 48, is among a group of Trump voters who support the Republican candidate despite questions about his character.
‘But, when you get down to it, he’s not afraid to say what he says. That is the only reason I vote for him,” added the retired nurse.
Jim Pero, a Republican business analyst from Salisbury, was even more scathing in his assessment of Trump’s character.
“He’s brash, arrogant, narcissistic and communicates poorly,” the 67-year-old said.
His views echo those of Sutton banker Brian Jankins.
‘There is too much instability in his administration; I think it’s due to his ego. He surrounds himself with people who do,” Jankins said, adding that “it’s not easy” to support the presidential candidate.
But he and Pero remain steadfast in their commitment to voting for Trump.
Jankins explained that his support is based on his belief in Trump’s business acumen, which he believes helps him understand how to grow, “what separates us, and what keeps us a superpower.”
Billie Cleghorn, 48, firmly stated that she is “not a Trumper” and voted for Biden in 2020.
One Trump supporter said he took issue with the “crazy” way he has been talking about Democrats, even calling them the “enemy within.”
The Army veteran attributes his decision to getting “caught in the political climate,” but has since criticized the number of conflicts that have arisen under the current president.
“We’re willing to fight the entire world,” he said, adding that he doesn’t believe Democrats have control over the economy.
“My life has become much more difficult since Biden took office,” Cleghorn said.
Others are stronger in their MAGA beliefs, but are afraid to show them for fear of retaliation.
A 61-year-old businessman in the true blue state told the Globe he was worried his livelihood would be “cancelled” if people knew of his allegiance.
“People like me are afraid to put it in their front yard for fear of reprisals,” he said, requesting anonymity. “It’s too dangerous.”
Massachusetts has voted Democratic for the past 40 years and is considered a safe seat for Kamala Harris.
The race between Republican Trump and Democrat Harris has divided the American electorate along gender, race and education, Reuters/Ipsos polls conducted in October this year show.
Banker Brian Jankins said that although Trump surrounds himself with ‘yes men’ he is the best person to protect US interests.
Trump has improved his standing among men, particularly Hispanics, while support for Harris has increased among women.
Trump has improved his standing among men, particularly among Hispanics, while support for Harris has increased among women, helping her cut into the Republicans’ traditional advantage among white voters.
Among women, Harris led Trump this month by 12 percentage points: 50 percent to 38 percent.
By comparison, Biden led Trump by 5 points among women voters in October 2020. Some respondents said they were unsure how they would vote, or whether they might choose a third-party candidate or not vote at all.
Democrats’ gains among women have been boosted by Harris’ standing among white women. Harris trailed Trump by 2 points among white women (46 percent to 44 percent), a much smaller margin than the 16-point lead Trump had over Biden four years earlier.
Among men, Trump led Harris by 7 points: 48 percent to 41 percent. Before the 2020 election, Trump led Biden by 1 point: 45 percent to 44 percent.