This is an occasional roundup of people who voted for Donald Trump and are shocked to find out no one is immune from the damage and pain he causes. Many are now grappling with the consequences of their choice as it affects them and their loved ones—and possibly regretting their vote.
Today, we shine spotlights on the most opposite spectrums of American society—one of the poorest countries in the country—Prentiss County, Mississippi—and billionaire Ken Griffin. And then we’ll end with a disabled veteran.
Let’s start with Prentiss County. On their Facebook page, the county’s sheriff’s department announced, “Our Food giveaway is suspended until further notice. We have been notified by MidSouth Foodbank that funding has been suspended and we won’t receive any deliveries until otherwise notified.”
The letter attached to the Facebook post further clarified that the funding shortfall came, in part, from an end to COVID-19-era food assistance. Republicans have taken aim at such programs for the last couple of years, and they are as good as dead now that their party holds total control in Washington.
It is obviously distressing for a community and its poor to lose something as invaluable as food assistance. Yet the county’s voters have done everything possible to worsen their situation.
The county’s annual per-capita income is $29,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Nearly 18% of its residents live in poverty, similar to the state at large. The national poverty rate was 11% in 2023, the most recent year of complete data.
Prentiss is 81% non-Hispanic white and 15% Black. Given that this is Mississippi, among the most racially politically polarized states in the country, it shouldn’t be surprising that President Donald Trump won the county with 82.7% of the vote to Democrat Kamala Harris’ 16.6%—almost identical to the racial makeup.
Now, thanks in part to the county’s votes, federal food-assistance programs have dried up, with zero chance of them being revived—and it could soon get worse for them. Nearly 18% of Mississippi residents are enrolled in Medicaid, a program currently on the GOP’s chopping block. Also in the crosshairs are subsidized school lunches for needy kids and food stamps.
President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk
Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s assault on assistance programs is in full swing, and it will harm America’s poor more than anyone—and Prentiss is a poor county in the poorest state in the union.
But I’m sure they’ll console themselves knowing that a handful of transgender women won’t be able to compete in college sports. They really stuck it to those coastal elites!
Speaking of coastal elites, not all of them are Democrats.
Take Miami-based Ken Griffin, for example. The hedge-fund CEO of Citadel LLC is No. 33 in Forbes’ list of the world’s richest people, with a net worth of $44.3 billion as of Friday. Griffin, a major donor to the Republican Party, told The New York Times in December that he voted for Trump and wasn’t worried about tariffs:
Mr. Griffin downplayed one of the biggest concerns about Trumponomics—that tariffs could dent growth and accelerate inflation. He said it remained unclear whether Mr. Trump’s threats to slap tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China would materialize, adding that the talk of tariffs imposed by the United States was “small ball compared to the role that the world is looking to us for.” He said he didn’t see tariffs as the most important business issue.
Fast forward just a month and a half later:
“Ken Griffin, founder of investment firm Citadel, warned Tuesday that President Donald Trump's tariff policies pose a serious risk to America's economic growth,” reported the Daily Mail, a tabloid based in the United Kingdom. “He said they may force other countries to find new trade alliances, as he criticized Trump's 'bombastic rhetoric.'”
“The uncertainty and chaos created by the tariff dynamics between us and our allies is an impediment to growth,” he said at a conference.
Suddenly, it seems Griffin sees tariffs as absolutely “the most important business issue.”
But don’t feel sorry for him, he still thinks Musk is wonderful and doing the right thing destroying our government. He’s a horrible person, and the best we can hope for is that Trump’s actions decimate his business.
One more?
This is from a now-deleted post on a subreddit for federal workers:
A Betrayal of Sacrifice: A Veteran's Plea for Dignity
These past four weeks have been devastating.
Last week, I sat in my car, waiting for my little girl to get out of school, and I cried. I served this country in Iraq, Afghanistan, and East Africa. When I came home, I struggled to make ends meet. No one was hiring a gunner. Eventually, I decided to use my GI Bill-not just for an education, but because I needed the extra cash. During that time, I earned my degree and landed a federal job. I was the first in my family to earn a degree and the first to work for the federal government.
I loved my job. It was advertised as remote work, which made it possible for me to do my job well.
Getting in and out of my car with a wheelchair is exhausting, and parking is always a hassle.
Working from home gave me some relief in a life that has been anything but easy.
Then I saw the Return to Office Executive Order, and I knew it was going to get worse. I was right. The past few weeks have been nothing short of terrifying. I fear for my family. I fear for myself. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't had dark thoughts-thoughts I don't want to have. I was told I had to return to the office. I was told my reasonable accommodation would no longer be authorized. I feel betrayed-by this country, by this government. I gave everything, and now I feel like I have nothing left to give.
This, I pray.
In a subsequent post, the user noted that he was fired, a victim of Elon Musk’s purge. Heartbreaking, for sure. I take no joy in someone losing their job or the difficulties they suffer from a service-related disability. I was a soldier; my son is a soldier. I feel kindred spirits with all service members and veterans. I know the toll it can take on oneself and one’s family.
But in other posts, this guy also wrote:
I love orange man now he defines a true American with his flaws and all as no one is perfect but it's not about being perfect it's about ones love of the country and doing your best to help your country first then focus on others instead of focusing on others and then your country
In another thread, when a user asked for gay-bar recommendations around the University of Maryland campus, he responded with a “ewwwwwww.” When called out on it by other users, he answered with “it’s an opinion don’t like it move to China.”
In yet another post, he wrote, “How did everyone celebrate the historic Gulf of America Day? It's rough out there but at least we got Gulf of America Day. How did you all celebrate this day, a day bugger [sic] than the Super bowl?”
He hates the foreigners and the gays and he voted for Trump to hurt those people. But Trump also hates wounded veterans, the disabled, and anyone working in the government. And you know what else? Being a disabled veteran made him a beneficiary of diversity, equity, and includes programs, or DEI.
This vet let his hatred of others blind him to how Trump wouldn’t hurt just them. And now his vote cost him and his family dearly.
Maybe this guy is reachable, maybe not. Once challenged on his Trump support and posting history, he deleted both the post and his account.
But we don’t have to reach all of them. If we can swing 10% of Trump voters our way, that’s nearly 8 million voters. Heck, a 5% swing would make it hard for Republicans to keep the White House in 2028.
It’s a long way to go, and there’s plenty of time for people to become disillusioned and disenchanted.
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