As Election Day nears, a growing number of constituencies feel betrayed by Trump

Commentator Steve Benen of MS NOW argues that, with the midterms close, several groups that supported Republicans in 2024 now feel let down by Donald Trump and his party. Farmers, who backed the president by wide margins, have seen policies that hurt agriculture. Latino voters who expected deportations to target violent criminals have learned otherwise. Muslim voters who moved toward a nominee once associated with a Muslim ban say they feel used, since the GOP has built its final pitch around Islamophobia. Benen says it remains to be seen whether these voters back Democrats or stay home.

The column gives the most attention to activists drawn by Trump's promise to make America healthy again. The New York Times investigated and found that Trump has excused 202 facilities across 39 states and Puerto Rico from incoming clean-air rules, including chemical plants, copper smelters and coal-fired power plants. Roughly 3. 3 million people reside close to at least one such site. The Times calls it the largest presidential intervention in Clean Air Act enforcement since Richard Nixon signed that law. Benen adds that chemical industry lobbyists now hold leadership roles at the Environmental Protection Agency.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW →