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Celerity

(54,921 posts)
7. Gerald and Wally are Black men who live in the suburbs of Atlanta. Both grew up voting for Democrats and voted for
Wed May 20, 2026, 09:04 PM
Wednesday

President Joe Biden in 2020. Then in 2024, they switched to voting for President Trump.

https://www.keranews.org/2026-05-19/these-men-voted-for-president-trump-they-have-very-different-views-of-how-hes-doing

Gerald, 51, is very happy with the president. "Listen, I am so pro-Trump, people just don't even understand," said Gerald, sitting at the kitchen table he and his wife share with their blended family after a long day at work as a truck driver. "The dude is amazing because he's not following the script." He gives Trump an A++ for his performance on the job. When asked the same question, Wally, 44, gave Trump an F. "Like, what do we have that we can hang our hat on right now?" Wally asked rhetorically. "We have higher gas prices."

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Gerald and Wally are the first Swing Shift voters we visited at home. Their reasons for supporting Trump and their views of his performance now couldn't be more different. Wally can't think of a positive line item out of the Trump presidency. "I think with Trump, we're just trying to weather this guy," Wally said. "We can't get to 2029 fast enough. The problem is what shape will we be in once we get there."

snip

Gerald credits his children, too, with helping him challenge his views, especially as he learned more about history. Now, he said, he's never going back to the Democrats, even as he's lost friends over his pro-Trump social media posts. He's a big fan of using AI and gets his news from YouTube, TikTok and ABC's World News with David Muir. For him, switching parties was like switching phones.

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Gas prices are kicking his butt right now. His personal vehicle is a big dually pickup that takes diesel. But diesel is even more expensive than regular unleaded, so he's been trying to use his wife's car to get around when he can, to save money on fuel. Still, Gerald has faith in Trump, and said the current economic pain will be worth it if the threat from Iran is resolved. "I just try to do the cutting back to do, to survive, 'til we make it through it," said Gerald. "It's like anything else. It's a season." He uses apps to find discounts on gas and noted there are other ways to cut back, like not eating out at restaurants all the time. Or even eating less. "Cook. Fast. I mean me and my wife have been fasting, and there's a lot of benefits, including one of those benefits is saving money on groceries," Gerald said.

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