In this political Bellwether, voters feel the effects of Trump's politics

Allentown, Pennsylvania
Cnn
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Todd harder voted for Donald Trump and knows that his community would benefit first -hand if the president can promise his promise of a quick American Renaissance.

But harder doesn't believe that he will ever see it. The early evidence, said harder, is that the tariffs and the hard trade conversation that Trump says will bring the factory boom times back at difficult times.

“My generation, it will not work (positive). It will hurt us,” said Härter, the owner of Prodart, the wooden arrows and dartboards in an allentown industry park. “In the future, it could help them for the next generation. But it affects the people who are here today … not in a good way.”

This skeptical short-term attitude-one Trump supporter-old is worth mentioning and tracks: Trump's political prestige is due to the day of tenure, and the economic tumult that is caused by the debate of the tariffs is part of his briefs.

Harder life in a Pennsylvania and American Bellwether: the 7th congress district. Trump hardly won in 2024, and the house seat was from blue to red. It is already a top goal in the 2026 midterms.

The Lehigh Valley keeps the icon status in the history of American production. Belhlehem Steel and Western Electric were at the time of the talg doors; Mack Trucks and Martin guitars are today. Crayola Crayons is a landmark of Easton, whose descent is attributed to a company at the turn of the century, which made the red barn that picks up the rural landscape.

The globalization and commercial debates that Trump encourage today have defined the Lehigh Valy economy since a generation. In 1990 there were more than 66,000 factory jobs in the valley in the valley, only 55,000 per decade and a low of 35,000 in 2011. Until the end of 2024, the production of employment had decreased to 41,000. It was flat in the four months that Trump was back in the White House.

Harder and Prodart have a tiny place in these statistics. Fourteen employees at the peak; Five now, including Harder's parents.

“We're slowly slow,” said Härter. “The money is scarce. People complain that the rent is really high. Many places, only the cash flow is not there. I think everyone will be a little more conservative for expenses.”

Harder only occasionally obtains materials from foreign suppliers, so tariffs do not really have a direct success. However, he says that other local manufacturers are violated to different degrees, and the tumult of the tariff debate has affected the trust of consumers.

“Six to seven, but no longer,” is the grade that trump harder in four months. “He just got in. See where it comes out.”

Harder I just got in. He is 55 years old, but his votes from 2024 for Trump was the first time that he had made a ballot.

Yes, he was angry with inflation. He thought Trump's tax policy would be better for his family and business. But that is not harder from the sidelines after skipping every previous election because he was entitled to vote for the first time in 1988.

“There is no law and no more order. The smoking marijuana stuff – that clears out of control,” said Harder. “Go away.

He says there are too many Puertorican flags in Allentown, too few schools that teach italics and start loyalty.

“I was just disgusted,” said Harder. “Like everything in this world, you know that it is crap.”

The Trump campaign and its allies have made methodical, concerted efforts in order to target rare or unreliable voters such as harder. Immigration, transgender rights and attacks on “awakened” democrats were key pieces of this strategy.

His decision to coordinate – to join the Maga Culture Wars – also benefited the new Republican Congress member of the 7th district, Ryan Mackenzie. He defeated the democratic incumbent with only 4,062 votes. But it is not certain whether he will vote again in 2026.

“If I have the feeling that things are going properly, yes,” he said. “If I don't change anything, it doesn't really matter what my voice is.”

The Lehigh Valley was a repetition stop for our All -He Map project in the cycle 2024, and harder is one of the additional voters with which we can stay in contact by 2026 and beyond, in order to follow the first two years of the Trump office through their eyes and experiences.

Michelle Rios is another, a battlefield voter on the other side of the Maga cultural classification.

Rios helps with a local college to carry out a program for diversity, justice and inclusion, and she gets a mixture of angry and amused about how her work is described by Trump and his allies. A normal day, she said, probably includes advice for financial aids to a minority student and may help navigation at campus clubs or social events. Recently, she could deal with rumors about lost funds or immigration remains.

“I wanted to help College students exactly as it was helped because it made an incredible difference in my life and my journey,” said Rios in an interview in Bethlehem.

She was a student during the first concept of Trump and remembers that she was always nervous. This time is determined to remain calm while she found out whether her college program will be affected or whether non -profit organizations with which she is working in the busy Latino community will be affected because Trump -Beams consider her grants to be a grant connected to the variety.

“It's just afraid, and I think that is essentially what the past few months have done to people,” said Rios. “So I try to concentrate on the action part. How, that happened. What can we do about it now?”

The action part for Rios includes the search for paths to regain the growing number of Latinos who have left the Democrats to support Trump and other Republicans.

“Sometimes it has a bit to do with the Latino culture,” she said. “Sometimes we women don't want to see in a certain position.”

Another effort: “I just try to promote fewer social media. … I think that also made a big difference.”

Rios sighed for a long time when she was asked what she would say if she had a minute with President Trump.

“I don't think I would want a minute,” was her first answer. Then “there are many things that come to mind, but I just don't think I would know where to start.”

Gerard Babb has no hesitation. He would ask President Trump to try to save his job.

The irony, he says, is that he sees Trump as at least partially guilt that he will probably lose it soon.

BABB works in the assembly line at Mack Trucks, a large employer in the region. However, the company recently announced that it would reduce 250 to 350 jobs from its 2,600-member workforce here.

It quoted Trump tariffs as a factor and said the president deviated from demand. The United Auto workers and others, including Rep. Mackenzie, suggest that the company is using Trump as a film and wanted to move to Mexico for a long time.

“I think they played a role,” said Babb about the Trump tariffs. “Donald Trump could have had a little more finesse instead of using a flat -rate policy over everything.”

Babb's first voice was for Barack Obama in 2008. He switched to Mitt Romney in 2012 and then gave three votes for Trump.

“A B+” is how he accepts Trump in the four -month brand, although his jitter to lose his job.

But every day is more stressful because BABB checks the seniority diagrams to determine whether normal sales could somehow save it if Mack announces an exact number and timing.

“I was a 171 when they announced for the first time,” said Babb. “Now I'm at 218. … If I can get about 350, it would be perfect. But as long as I am over 250, I have a chance.”

Babb also voted for Mackenzie, but says it was far too early to commit to his intermediate votes from 2026.

The strength of the economy is his important problem, and he said Mackenzie would help his chances if the congress eliminates taxes at overtime or that other things would help his family. Babb said he was open to the coordination for the Democrat for the Congress if this candidate had a better economic policy.

“I haven't seen anything yet,” said Babb when I was asked about the promise of the White House to increase the production quickly. “I would like to see more manufacturing jobs in the region.”

Most of the time, however, is divided to stay up to date between work and then shake the stress and spend time with his wife and three children.

“It is stressful that I will (probably) be unemployed in the near future,” said Babb. “Because I want to take care of my wife and children. It is the uncertainty that I really get.”