Suburban women are understood to be one of the most crucial demographic groups in the presidential election on November 3. Many pollsters currently predict that President Donald Trump will lose due to his unpopularity with that category of voters. But have the Democrats really reclaimed the suburbs? Or are there more likely Republican voters than the polls suggest?
The Spectator tracked down a series of so-called ‘closet Trump’ voters, women from the suburbs who would never publicly voice their support for the President for fear of recrimination in their social circles. These are their stories.
Northern Virginia
I have always thought of myself as someone who is honest with others. That’s one of the main reasons I struggle with the secret I have been forced to keep for the last four years: I voted for Donald Trump in 2016. And I will vote for him again in 2020.I’m that voter the pollsters consider ‘enthusiastic’. Unlike some of my friends and family who hold their nose and vote for Trump, I cannot wait to cast my vote for the man I believe is the best candidate for the job. As an accountant, I see the country as just another big business to run. And if you run a successful business, you take care of your people. You are compassionate and you create a sense of loyalty, but you ‘teach them to fish, so that they can feed themselves for a lifetime’. I do wish Trump would pause before he speaks at times (who can forget when he turned to Dr Birx and pondered injecting disinfectant…seriously?) And, yes, I agree that he should not be allowed to have Twitter. He’s worse than my teens with his lack of social media self-control! But, I think the liberal elite and their fervent allies in the mainstream media have been set on a path to destroy him since he shocked America by winning the presidency. His words and actions are twisted, taken out of context, and pounced on by the mainstream media (looking at you Washington Post!) which thrives on any nugget that supports their narrative. It’s disgusting. I strongly disagree that he is a racist and inhumane, but try explaining that to other DC suburban moms who absolutely despise him and assume we all feel the same way.Back in early 2019, there were the Facebook posts by the neighborhood PTA mom, who blasted the supposed ‘MAGA thugs who attacked Jussie Smollett’. Remember that story? This mother used it as an opportunity to re-post that ‘Trump’s ascendance has created a climate of hate’. Pre-pandemic 2020, it was the morning small talk at the school bus stop where my friendly neighbor would regularly say, ‘when this administration is gone after the election’. Or the comment from my friend’s husband that my hairstyle reminded him of Amy Klobuchar’s and the silence when I didn’t recognize the name. Of course, my friend said, it was too early to know all of the potential candidates. Certainly, I would pay close attention once the list of candidates narrowed. No, actually, I wouldn’t pay attention. I am a busy mom and my vote was already decided. In early March, at the high school senior parent meeting, we were all reminded to vote in the presidential primary. Well, there was no Republican primary; our candidate had already received the Virginia nomination. Later, the pandemic changed life as we know it. In May, while our state was still under a shelter in place order, the same senior moms who reminded us to vote in their primary were hosting faux ‘prom dinners’ for their seniors and taking photos (many without masks) that were posted on social media. Rules for thee, but not me. It’s the Democrat way.
[special_offer]
Thankfully, in June, youth baseball games started back-up. I made the comment to my fellow baseball mom, how did we get here? She quickly proclaimed that it didn’t have to be like this: if we’d had a true lockdown like other countries and if we had consistent messaging from the government, we’d be on our way out of this mess. So, yeah, it’s all Trump’s fault. What about China’s role? What about the wealthy business and leisure travelers who spread the disease to our most vulnerable populations, I wanted to say — the nursing home residents, illegal immigrants and essential workers? But, I said nothing. I remain silent. Am I just a wimp? Maybe, but there’s so much hate targeted towards Trump and his supporters. Here’s what I saw on my morning walk today. A newly erected Trump sign is already vandalized, thrown to the ground and spray painted over with a curse word. A little further down the road, a tidy Biden sign remains standing for weeks now. So on my way back, I stop at the defaced and trampled Trump sign. I ‘fix’ it as best as I can and I feel a lot better about myself and who I am. I’ve never been super passionate about politics and I am not one for public debates about politics or religion. That’s not how I was raised. But, I support Trump and, for a brief moment on that busy road this morning, I was no longer a secret suburban Trump supporter.