Luis Escarraman’s Truck: The Cost of Living in the U.S. and the Rise of the Wall Street: How Americans Meteorized, Lost and Found
EASTON, Pa. — Luis Escarraman says he is nostalgic for the Trump economy. The 41-year-old Republican owns his own truck and hauls freight from New Jersey to California. Maintenance, parts, diesel fuel — it has all become so pricey, he said.
He is not alone. Poll after poll show voters trust the presumptive Republican 2024 nominee more on the economy than the incumbent, President Biden. It’s an important factor as voters look ahead to Election Day in November — but it’s far from the only one.
He said he is considering a variety of factors, which he supports politically. Right now, he is concerned about the increase in migration and the money the U.S. government is spending on conflicts overseas, as well as the high cost of living.
But he also remembers that life under former President Donald Trump was at times alarming. He said that he knew a lot of fights in the country. It was better financially than it was like a civil war.
Voters in a Boomerang County Say They’re Nomadic for the Trump Economy: The S&P 500 Index Rises 36% in Donald Trump’s First Three Years in Office
The voters of this county and across the nation were concerned about the prices of things like gas, groceries, rent and insurance. Democrats did well in the midterm races in Northampton County, despite the economy dominating the headlines.
Northampton is one of only 25 “boomerang” counties in the U.S., meaning people there voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, then opted for Trump in 2016 and then most recently in 2020 chose Joe Biden.
Even though the economy was important to many people, it was not something that they felt good about even if they were from a political party.
“When Trump was in office, it was sad, but my 401(k) was just going up and up and up. Ruthann Arris is a Democrat and she said it was wonderful to watch it.
The S&P 500 index rose in Donald Trump’s first three years in office. The S&P 500 index rose 26% in comparison to Biden’s first three years in office.
Source: Voters in this ‘boomerang’ county say they’re nostalgic for the Trump economy
Biden’s message of economic security and inflation: If you want to vote for Trump, don’t worry about immigration, immigration and border security
But she said she still intends to vote for Biden this November. “I think he comes across as more convincing than the alternative,” she said. “You have a more stable USA. And it’s not worth the short-term gain of a 401(k) going up.”
A survey from NBC News in April found that voters said inflation was the No. 1 concern facing the country, and they gave Trump a double-digit advantage on the issue. When it came to identifying an issue that is so important that you would vote for or against a candidate solely because of that issue, voters chose abortion, immigration and border security, depending on their politics.
Republican Greg Poff said he is concerned about border security because people want to complain about the economy. “If you can control the flow of people into the country and get the people that aren’t supposed to be here out, everything else will fall like dominoes.”
A central part of Biden’s campaign message is that the economy is in good shape thanks to the legislation he has signed.
One challenge is that many people are still using pre-pandemic prices as their benchmark, so any other economic message the president is trying to send isn’t breaking through.
“I think it’s hard because people don’t like things to cost more than they did before. Julie Smith, an economist at Lafayette College, said that it will be hard to convince people to change their minds until there is more of a change in their minds.