Swing voters who were key for Trump in 2024 have mixed reviews so far

Ray, the New York voter, also said the president’s tariffs on other countries’ goods have contributed to economic instability.

But other Trump voters praised his tariff policy and gave him positive marks on the economy. (The interviews were conducted before new tariff announcements from Trump and his administration this week.)

Javan Potts, 23, of Ohio, said he views tariffs as negotiating tactics, saying they have been effective and blaming the media for raising alarms about them by saying prices would “skyrocket.”

Rhonda, a 54-year-old gas station clerk in Illinois, said Trump is “doing well” on the tariffs and said she has not noticed a change in prices of everyday goods.

“Despite what they said to begin with, it seems to be working out well,” she said.

Gonzell Turner, a 40-year-old Maryland resident and federal employee, said in January that the economy and high prices were top issues for him in 2024, and he praised Trump on those issues.

“I feel like he’s put it at the top of his list as far as what he wants to get done for the American people. So I feel like he’s done his part and he’s trying,” said Turner, who also chalked the federal layoffs up to staff turnover that occurs at the start of a new administration.

Trump’s signature issues

Trump’s first six months have also been dominated by his focus on deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally, which also received mixed reviews from this group of voters.

Potts, from Ohio, said that “we can’t just ignore the problem because we want to be empathetic” and added the U.S. needs a “better system” for people to come legally.

“If I went to Spain the next day illegally, I’d get deported. It’s not just a U.S. thing, it’s an around-the-world thing,” he said.

Rhonda, of Illinois, said she supports the removal of immigrants in the country illegally, but noted that she wants Congress to come up with a solution for “Dreamers,” the undocumented young adults who came to the U.S. illegally as children.

But Ray, the New York voter who said in January that border security was a top issue for him, said that Trump was taking deportations “a step too far” and that the approach to deportations had been “very heavy-handed.”

Jorge noted that he has seen Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in his Hispanic community in Florida. He also said he was recently pulled over by a local law enforcement officer who asked to see his identification.

“I’m an American who now has to be afraid,” Jorge said, adding that he was not surprised by the focus on deportations given Trump’s campaign rhetoric. Still, he criticized the administration for not distinguishing between immigrants in the country illegally with criminal records from those who work and “benefit our society” — an issue that has stuck out in polling on Trump’s immigration agenda.

“It’s disappointing,” Jorge said, later saying of Trump, “He thinks he can just take everyone.”

Most of these voters were wary of Trump’s other signature accomplishment of his administration so far: the sweeping tax cut and spending measure known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

Though supportive of Trump overall, Scott was torn on the bill. He supports increased funds for immigration enforcement but was skeptical of the trillions of dollars it could add to the deficit, calling the measure a “hard pill to swallow.”

Stephen said that while he would have voted for the bill if he were in Congress, he does not like large spending bills because “there’s always stuff smuggled in,” noting that immigration policy and no taxes on tips are in the same bill.

“Both sides lump everything all together in one thing, because they know if they can get enough popular things on it, then that’s how they get their unpopular s— through,” he said.

Jorge, Janice and Ray were also all critical of the measure, taking issue with the spending measures and questioning if they would feel the benefits.

“This is another one of Trump’s policies that he said he would do but he hasn’t really, which is cut government, cut taxes on the little people,” said Ray. “Really it’s just filled with tax cuts and more bloat.”

But even with his concerns, Ray, a registered Democrat, said he would not take back his vote for Trump last year.

“Unfortunately I probably would still vote for Trump expecting that he might just crash everything and America gets the restart,” Ray said, noting that he tends to support candidates who speak their minds.

Ray noted that he supported Zohran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City earlier this year.

“Like Trump, I don’t agree with all his views,” Ray said of Mamdani. “But he makes the effort to go out and talk to people and reach out to people and try to actually do things that are better for the working class.”