Astead W. Herndon

One, she feels as if she's happy with her choice, she made the choice, and she feels fine about it. But she really mentioned something I think is really important, that she felt that Trump had at least diagnosed a real problem in her life, which is that she feels as if these free trade agreements have, in the macro, pulled these jobs away from her community.

One, she feels as if she's happy with her choice, she made the choice, and she feels fine about it. But she really mentioned something I think is really important, that she felt that Trump had at least diagnosed a real problem in her life, which is that she feels as if these free trade agreements have, in the macro, pulled these jobs away from her community.

And she doesn't feel as if Democrats named that problem or have provided a solution for it.

And she doesn't feel as if Democrats named that problem or have provided a solution for it.

Right. She has a really specific interaction with this because, as you remember, President Biden actually came to Michigan to walk the picket line as UAW workers were striking.

Right. She has a really specific interaction with this because, as you remember, President Biden actually came to Michigan to walk the picket line as UAW workers were striking.

And Monica's in the UAW, right? Yeah, he was there on behalf of her. Right, right, right. We're talking about people whose union beliefs are really core to their identity, core to their work, core to their family and their family story here. And so when we asked her about it, like, why doesn't Biden get credit? Why don't Democrats get credit for kind of supporting you in that effort?

And Monica's in the UAW, right? Yeah, he was there on behalf of her. Right, right, right. We're talking about people whose union beliefs are really core to their identity, core to their work, core to their family and their family story here. And so when we asked her about it, like, why doesn't Biden get credit? Why don't Democrats get credit for kind of supporting you in that effort?

As a union member, I was glad that he supported our right to strike.

As a union member, I was glad that he supported our right to strike.

But it's not as if Biden being there really did anything about our bigger issue, which is that we're losing these jobs in a long-term sense.

But it's not as if Biden being there really did anything about our bigger issue, which is that we're losing these jobs in a long-term sense.

And she was saying that when Trump came, yeah, he wasn't supporting a right to strike.

And she was saying that when Trump came, yeah, he wasn't supporting a right to strike.

He was saying none of this matters if y'all don't have a job. And she was saying she really agreed with that framing of the issue. And honestly, she felt that only tariffs were being presented as the type of solution that could rectify the issue.

He was saying none of this matters if y'all don't have a job. And she was saying she really agreed with that framing of the issue. And honestly, she felt that only tariffs were being presented as the type of solution that could rectify the issue.

It was. And so all of this adds up to a real runway that Trump has to speak to that problem. Because she feels as if she is confident that she cast her vote for at least the guy who's trying to do something. And that all adds up to her to being much more powerful than the symbolic measures she felt the Democrats were giving.

It was. And so all of this adds up to a real runway that Trump has to speak to that problem. Because she feels as if she is confident that she cast her vote for at least the guy who's trying to do something. And that all adds up to her to being much more powerful than the symbolic measures she felt the Democrats were giving.

Absolutely. I posed that direct question to her, and she kind of shrugged it off. She believes that the reasons Delantis laid those folks off is much more about a change in what car they were producing, not the tariffs.

Absolutely. I posed that direct question to her, and she kind of shrugged it off. She believes that the reasons Delantis laid those folks off is much more about a change in what car they were producing, not the tariffs.