We Asked Trump Voters, “When Did America Stop Being Great?” Their Answers Were Amazing.

“We have been overlooked, with all these special-interest groups getting their way.”

Smiling voters unfolded chairs or stretched on the grassy slope overlooking the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland Monday. They were there to participate in the first big pro-Trump rally of the GOP convention and to listen to speakers such as far-right luminary Roger Stone and conspiracy shock jock Alex Jones.

Trump’s famous slogan is obviously “Make America Great Again,” but I wanted to know from his most die-hard fans: Exactly when did America stop being great? The video above paints a picture of voters who feel like the very idea of “America” as they know it is slipping away—voters who worry that their values and freedoms are under attack from politicians and the press. “The mainstream media wants to tell us that somehow we’re racist or we’re discriminatory or we’re misogynist,” said Rhona Welsch, a 55-year-old food and beverage worker at a Hawaii resort. “It’s just not true.”

 

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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