With the U.S. midterm elections less than four months away, Times Opinion wants to know from voters across the country: How is your America doing?
Mara Gay, an Opinion writer for The New York Times, traveled to the Hudson Valley — the suburbs north of New York City — to hear what voters are thinking, feeling and worried about as the election approaches.
She spoke with small-business owners, single mothers, college students and others about what they want to change in their communities and the country, how they’re navigating inflation and how they feel about the Democratic Party, Donald Trump and the direction of America.
Below is an edited transcript of this video. We recommend watching it in its original form for the full effect. You can do so using the video player above.
Mara Gay: Hey, how’s it going? Yeah, you. I know things have been pretty crazy lately. So I thought I’d check in. How are you doing, America?
Today I’m in New York’s suburbs, one of the places that will decide control of Congress this fall. And I’m asking folks: Are you a voter? How do you feel about taxing the rich? What’s the best thing Donald Trump has done? What’s the worst? What are politicians missing about how life in America actually is today?
Gay: If you were to describe America right now in one word right now, what word would you use?
Gessenia Arce: Scary.
Tamica Hall: Disastrous.
Natalia Hayden: Chaos.
Edwin Minter: Rebuilding.
John Martin: The country’s in trouble.
Eric Hayden: Despair.
Dottie Daniti: Terrible decline.
David Gray-Schofield: It’s just bad, it is just bad.
Archival news clip: Only about one in ten Americans think Congress is doing a good job.
Archival news clip: I don’t think folks have ever been more pessimistic.
Archival news clip: Neither party is really popular right now.
Gay: Nice to meet you, Virginia. And who’s this?
Virginia Colon: This is Melanie.
Gay: Hi, Melanie. What would you like to see from a politician? What would you like them to do that they’re not doing?
Colon: Please, the economy. Hear the people out. Let us be a voice that you can hear us, really hear us. The food I used to buy, I can’t afford it anymore.
Gay: What food do you miss the most?
Colon: The meat! The steak! Yeah, we can’t even afford to eat some steak. It’s not like we did it all the time, but we like to cook out.
Gay: Do you own or rent a home?
Colon: I rent. I can’t even afford to buy.
Gay: Would you like to buy at some point?
Colon: I was. I have savings for that. And I can’t afford it.
Gay: Has the rent gone up?
Colon: Yes. To the point that I had to get a second job, so it’s been a lot.
Tina Westhoff: I definitely think that the cost of living is very difficult right now. I am a mother of five; I’m single by choice. I’m middle-class. The government doesn’t help me at all. I’m not saying that because I’m looking for anything. But I think we give too much to people that are not doing their part.
Gay: Did you vote for Donald Trump?
Westhoff: I did.
Gay: What is the best thing Trump has done so far?
Westhoff: It’s more of what he stopped, rather than what he did. I don’t believe that our border should be open. I am pro-life. I don’t believe that we should have abortions up until nine months.
Gay: And do you feel like you support him still today?
Westhoff: I do. To be quite honest with you, I’m not in love with Donald Trump. That’s not how it is. But I support him because I think that between the two candidates that we had, he was the better option, and I still feel that he is.
Archival news clip: With the way the party is heading, Democrats could be out of power for the next 15 years.
Archival news clip: The Democratic Party is in serious trouble.
Archival news clip: The party has gone between stagnation and retrogression.
Gay: I wonder what you would like to see from the Democratic Party that you haven’t.
Gray-Schofield: I would like to see the Democratic Party talk more about nuts-and-bolts stuff. I think they got very distracted with transgender sports. Everybody has rights for this and rights for that. I don’t disagree with that, but there’s way too much attention paid to that.
People were rolling their eyes. I was rolling my eyes. Like, come on. We have to talk about what to do about transportation, what to do about health care, food insecurity, all these things that affect people day to day.
Archival news clip: An affordability crisis looms over Americans.
Archival news clip: Many low- and middle-income paychecks aren’t keeping up with inflation.
Gay: What do you think is the worst thing that Donald Trump has done so far?
Hall: Taking away health care from a lot of people, cutting people’s benefits. I don’t think he really realizes how hard it is for someone to take care of their family.
Gay: Can I ask about what percentage of your paycheck you’re spending on rent?
Hall: Maybe 70 percent of it?
Gay: Seventy percent?
Hall: Yeah. I just had an increase within the last few months.
Gay: Have you ever gone, yourself, without food?
Hall: Many a time, yeah.
Gay: How often in a week or a month is it that you skip a meal so that your kids can have something?
Hall: Maybe three times a week, three or four times. As long as they eat, I’m good.
Archival news clip: Everyday people are struggling, and the income divide is only getting worse.
Archival news clip: Historic cuts to health care and SNAP.
Archival news clip: This is the biggest cut back in the U.S. social safety net in history.
Gay: How do you feel about taxing billionaires and multimillionaires? Do you think they should pay more?
Hall: I’m a stylist, but I also do taxes. I always say to the people that I work with, “I would love to see Donald Trump’s taxes so I can see how he got to zero.” It’s very hard to get to zero, so I’m just wondering how he does it all the time.
Carol Migliorelli: If you’ve got like five houses, come on. You should be taxed a little bit more.
Gay: We’re talking about the super wealthy.
Migliorelli: Yes.
Gay: Not people who are ——
Migliorelli: No, not like me. Come on. I’m barely — I’m hanging on, guys. I’m crawling.
Gay: What income do you think is the right amount to say they should pay a little more?
Migliorelli: I don’t know. I can’t put a number on it. Do you know why? Because I can’t imagine that amount of money. And when people tell me, I’m like, “What?”
Archival news clip: These elections, it’s almost going to be the billionaire donor class versus the American voter.
Archival news clip: Democrats are hoping to seize on voter frustrations with the president.
Archival news clip: Will there be this huge national political shift?
Gay: Are you planning to vote in this year’s election?
Hall: Oh, absolutely.
Colon: Definitely.
Gray-Schofield: Don’t think I’ve ever missed a year.
Gay: Do you think you’ll vote this year?
Samora Vanderpuije: I will not.
Gay: No. OK, so tell me why.
Vanderpuije: It’s a circus. It just seems like — it reminds me of the popularity contest in middle school. Whoever can meme harder or mud-sling better is going to end up on top. That’s basically what it is: a popularity contest.
Gay: Let me ask you this. The Democrats and the Republicans have never had, in our lifetimes, such wildly different visions for the country. But yet, you’re saying it’s kind of all the same. So what makes you feel that way, voting?
Vanderpuije: Because of a complete lack of transparency on both sides. And even beyond that. It’s gotten to the point where dishonesty is just the new norm. It’s like: Let’s just lie about everything. Anybody that’s honest can get a vote from me. I haven’t seen honesty in politics, which is why I haven’t been voting.
Gay: What’s the dream?
Vanderpuije: The dream? Complete economic freedom, and I would want that for myself and everybody I know — my family, my friends, people in general.
Archival news clip: Fifty-seven percent say the American dream is dead.
Archival news clip: One in three Americans under 35 is now still residing at home.
Arce: My mom, when she got to this country, she cleaned houses. My dad does construction till this day, and I don’t know if he’s ever going to be able to retire. What drives me is to be able to help my parents. I just want them to be able to rest and stop working.
Gay: How do you feel about being an American these days? Is that a part of your identity in a significant way? How do you think about that?
Arce: I don’t think I’m proud to be an American. It’s so funny because we celebrate the Fourth of July and my cousins are like, “You’re so American, Gess.” Yeah, I grew up here, but I’m never going to fully be from here because it’s not what I stand for.
Gay: Do you think that if the country changed, your feelings about that might change?
Arce: Yeah, I would say so. But when you have the wrong people running the U.S., it’s not something you’re proud of. I just hope that we’re able to do something to get these rich people out.
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