Fairfield County residents mostly supportive of President Trump's first-year performance

LANCASTER - President Donald Trump brings strong reactions from both those who support him and those who do not.

After one year in office, the emotions on both sides remain strong. But in a county where 60 percent of those voted in 2016 elected the president, Trump remains very popular.

Duane Williams, 37, is a plant worker from Lancaster who voted for Trump. He said he's slightly better off financially this past year.

"However, I am much better off with the confidence I have for the future of the country," Williams said. "Much better off when I think about manufacturing. When I think about jobs here in the United States, I have a much better feeling about where the country is headed than I did a year ago."

That feeling comes from the actions Trump has already taken and has promised to make which should bring manufacturing jobs back to the country.

Except for being a little better off financially and having more confidence in the country, Williams said not much has changed in his life this past year. He said he's happy with voting for Trump.

"Yeah, he's got his own certain way of saying things," Williams said. "Some of the things he says sometimes can seem a bit harsh, or they can make some people cringe."

But Williams said such traits are one of the reasons he voted for him because he believes Trump is genuine.

"He says things from the heart, and I would rather have someone tell me the brutal truth rather than a pleasant untruth," he said. "So I kind of appreciate his brashness."

In the 2016 race, more than 44,000 Fairfield County residents cast a ballot for Trump, (60 percent) while Democrat Hillary Clinton got just 34 percent.

One of those Clinton supporters — albeit a reluctant one — was Hollie Saunders.

"I have to respect the office," she said. "But I do not respect the man. I have no respect for him."

"In my opinion, we're in the mess that we're in not because people voted for Trump, but because people did not vote," she said. "And the shame is that the majority of people who didn't like Trump, they didn't like Hillary, so they chose not to vote."

Saunders has no regrets in voting for Clinton and is glad she did not vote for Trump. She also believes the country is worse off now with Trump in the office this past year.

"There's been no real leadership in the government," Saunders said. "To me, he's brought a lot of racial divisiveness, a lot of political divisiveness, a lot of chaos. I've not seen anything like this since the '60s, really."

From a personal standpoint, she said not much has changed in her life since Trump was elected. But Saunders said she had lost quite a few friends because she's not a Trump supporter.

"I don't like what he's doing and how he's doing it," she said. "And I just had to cut some friends loose because of that. And I find that I'm more on guard in how I act around people, and I don't like that."

Saunders said it hurt to cut some friends off, with some friendships dating back to junior high school.

Evan Murphy, 60, is a Trump supporter and city resident. He recently retired as a truck driver and got a first-hand look at the political climate as he traveled across the county.

"I feel that I'm better off than I was at this time last year," Murphy said. "And I can back that up just because after years of minimal returns on my investments; it's increased enough that I'm not afraid to come up off some of my money and pay off some the debt I had so I could go ahead and retire."

Not much has changed in his life with Trump as president, other than having a better sense of security about not losing his job the last year.

"If anything, it shows that government plays a very little part in everyday life with people doing their business," Murphy said.

He said a year later; he feels good about voting for Trump.

"I like his attitude on America first," Murphy said. "I'm not against immigrants or helping other countries. But I think we've got to take care of our own first, and then let's talk about taking care of other people. We've got plenty of poverty, and broken homes and hungry children right here in our own country."

Retired Fairfield Union school teacher Jeff Kraner is not a fan of President Trump.

"I don't think I'm better off than I was," he said. "I think the country is much less safe than it was because of the political divide that's occurred within the country."

He cited violence last year at a political rally in Virginia and tension between the races as examples of why he doesn't feel as safe. Kraner also said the environment is not receiving the attention it deserves.

He said he blames Trump for the divide in the country.

Kraner voted for Clinton. She was the superior candidate, he said, but was not electable because she didn’t' come across well. "In hindsight, I would have probably supported Bernie Sanders just to have someone in there who was a caring person about the United States," he said.

City resident Chris Cruit, 37, is a Trump supporter. He said he and his family are better off now than a year ago.

"We're still paycheck-to-paycheck, but the paychecks seem to stretch a little longer, and there's a little bit left over in them," Cruit said. 

He is a plant worker at Anchor Hocking and is also a professional wrestler. Cruit made his comments at the wrestling school he owns.

He said while he's not seen any dramatic changes in the past year, Cruit said Trump is someone who is trying to run things the right way.

"I wish the presidency was every two years so I could vote for him four times in the next eight years instead of just twice," Cruit said. 

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