My column today in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Bruce Ledewitz: A moderate Democrat looks at Trump voters

Special to the Post-Gazette

Jan 24, 2026

4:30 AM

The columnists, contributing writers and others this week will be commenting on Donald Trump’s first year, on the anniversary week of his second inauguration.

As a moderate Democrat — Yes, Virginia, there is a moderate Democrat — it is not surprising that I think Trump’s first term has been bad for the country. With the important exception of ending the war in Gaza, there is not much good he has accomplished. Even closing the southern border was actually achieved, belatedly, by the Biden Administration.

Worse, Trump has weakened America’s prospects for long-term success by undermining the institutions that have made America great: scientific research, the rule of law, the independence of the Fed, a non-partisan bureaucracy, and our foreign alliances. Trump has even disrupted private markets through government interference and pay-as-you-go corruption.

Going it alone in the world makes you weaker. Just ask post-Brexit Britain.

But, unlike my liberal friends, I don’t view Trump supporters as racists and fools.

What his voters think

And so I would like to know what they think of Trump’s first year in office. My interest is not mere curiosity. America cannot go on divided essentially in half. 

I would like to see the Democratic Party become a dominant national party. That means the ability to contest elections everywhere and achieve better than razor-thin majorities in Congress. To do that, Democrats must make inroads into the margins of the Trump coalition.

But it’s hard to figure out what Trump voters think. I have several friends who voted for Trump in 2016, but only one who admits to voting for him in 2024. Most of them refused to vote for either Trump or Kamala Harris.

But the AP and The New York Times have saved me. The AP recently published a poll of Republicans on Trump’s first year in office and then compared the results with an earlier poll that asked about Trump’s first term. The New York Times published the comments of a focus group composed of 11 Trump voters who generally approve of his job performance.

So, what do they think?

Republicans are not all that happy with Trump. It’s true that they give him an overall approval rating of 80%. But to put that in perspective, Democrats gave Joe Biden a slightly higher average approval rating throughout his time in office. Voters don’t totally abandon their Party.

Where Republicans appear dissatisfied is on the economy, specifically jobs and the cost of living. Just over half of Republicans say that Trump has helped create jobs. That compares with 85% who said he did that in his first term. Republicans have a sense that job creation has dramatically slowed in Trump’s first year and that unemployment has begun to edge up.

Inflation and immigration

On inflation, Republicans are also not satisfied. Only 40% feel that Trump has helped address the cost of living versus 85% who said he did that in his first term.

The problem for Trump on inflation is largely of his own making. He promised during the campaign that he would lower prices. That’s why one Republican told the AP that he’s “still paying $5 for Oreos,” but expects that price to come down.

But, barring a catastrophic economic downturn, prices in a modern economy do not go down. You tame inflation by reducing the rate by which prices are going up. Trump has not done badly on inflation, but his promises are unattainable.

Where Trump scores well is on immigration. About 80% of Republicans say he has helped on immigration and border security. That is the same number that said he helped with those issues in his first term.

But the AP also reports that Republican support for Trump on immigration has recently slipped. Several of the Republicans polled worried that immigration enforcement was too aggressive and that Trump should concentrate on deporting immigrants with “criminal backgrounds.” But Trump cannot do that because, on the whole, undocumented immigrants are working and are not committing crimes.

The New York Times focus group echoed these findings. As a group, these voters said that the economy is moving in the right direction, but that “prices are still insane.” At some point, Trump is going to have to change his tune on prices actually going down. The group strongly approved of Trump’s tariffs.

On immigration, which the group referred to as “the illegals,” Trump gets very high marks. Every participant mentioned immigration in evaluating Trump’s first year.

But, again, several participants had qualms about ICE enforcement. One called it “a little heavy handed.” This problem is going to be worse for Trump with the recent death of Renee Good at the hands of an ICE agent.

What his voters want

Surprisingly, Trump voters do not seem to like him. One told the AP, “I don’t like the man as a human being.” Several in the focus group expressed the similar sentiments. One said, “I wish he would get off Twitter.” Another referred to Trump’s chaotic style: “There’s a lot of mess.”

Overall, it’s clear his voters want Trump focused on what matters to them. Some said they have no interest in Greenland and they don’t want the U.S. to stay in Venezuela. Personally, I would say that kind of impulsiveness is what you get when you vote for Trump. But then, I’m a moderate Democratic.

Bruce Ledewitz, a contributing writer for the Post-Gazette, is professor of law emeritus at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University. He writes every other Monday. The views expressed do not represent those of Duquesne University. His previous column was 

First Published: January 24, 2026, 4:30 a.m.