VOA Special Report

The Rural View

voices from small town and rural America

Despite turmoil swirling in Washington, Donald Trump’s presidency still enjoys strong support among his base, particularly in white, rural America. These are the “forgotten men and women” to whom Trump has promised much, the people who feel that recent administrations were too focused on what have become disparagingly known as urban and coastal elites. VOA reporters recently traveled to a stretch of rural counties along the upper Mississippi River that turned from “blue” to “red” – supporting Democrat Barack Obama, then backing Republican Donald Trump in 2016. They spoke to farmers and carpenters, factory workers and retirees in these overwhelmingly white, Christian, working and middle class communities, those hoping for change, and those tired of it. These are their stories.

In their words