In northern, western Michigan, voters weigh in on Trump’s first 100 days
On his way to winning Michigan in the 2024 election, President Donald Trump won where he was expected to, including in parts of northern and western Michigan.
And his supporters in that region back his first 100 days back in office, describing the early part of his tenure as "awesome" and "authentic."
There is viewpoint variety in the region, however — some Michiganders are less enthusiastic about his second term's start.
The Detroit Free Press, Lansing State Journal and Center for Community Journalism - Michigan spoke with voters in the region as part of a project interviewing more than 100 Michiganders about Trump's first 100 days.
Becky Patrick, 69, Allendale
Becky Patrick, 69, of Allendale, more closely aligns with Democrats. She was a former administrator for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Quality. She said that President Donald Trump's second term hasn't had a direct effect on her due to her retired status and previously earning a decent living. She does worry about people not as insulated as her, such as immigrants and people who rely on government-funded programs. "I think there's a lot of people like that around the world and in this country, both who have not just been affected but been affected in their ability to stay alive," said Patrick.
— Cassidey Kavathas
Jailyn Dawson, 26, Big Rapids
For Jailyn Dawson, 26, the prominence of Elon Musk in the early part of President Donald Trump’s second term is problematic. Musk, the billionaire owner of electric vehicle maker Tesla and social media company X (formerly Twitter), was tapped as an adviser early on in Trump’s second stint as president.
“(Trump) unofficially electing Elon and him having almost total control over a lot of things in the Department of Education … and just mass firings of a lot of federal employees over things like DEI, I think it’s very unproper and unprofessional,” said Dawson, of Big Rapids.
Dawson considers himself more of an independent, but did vote for Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, in the most recent presidential election, due to disagreements he had with how Trump handled his first term in the White House.
— Arpan Lobo
Ruth McCarthy, 82, Big Rapids
The U.S. Southern border with Mexico, and record numbers of crossings at it during former President Joe Biden’s administration, were the driving force behind Ruth McCarthy’s decision to vote for President Donald Trump in November. But McCarthy, 82, said she had long planned to support and vote for Trump again, as she did in 2016 and 2020.
“We had a bad four years,” McCarthy, of Big Rapids, said of Biden’s tenure.
She’s confident Trump will steer the country in a positive direction in his second term, saying he had a track record of success during his first four years as president.
— Arpan Lobo
Laurie Callari, 64, Holland
Laurie Callari, 64, has anxiety about what the future holds. She owns a business but she is a mother and grandmother first. She said she worries about the cost of prescriptions for her chronically ill daughter and the erasing of history for her African American adopted great niece and nephew.
"Misinformation and censoring and all of these things that are happening under this administration, I feel is doing them such a disservice. They need to know history. They need to learn about the Holocaust. They need to learn about Black History Month. They need to learn about mistakes that have taken place so that they can make this world a better place."
She said she is fed up with the misinformation being spread about autism by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. With aging parents, she also worries about Social Security and Medicaid, as well as being able to collect starting next year.
"My life is so heavily impacted by my family and my worries and concerns for my family and those that I love in my community around me. I'm losing sleep," she said.
— Cassidey Kavathas
David Callari, 66, Holland
David Callari, 66, of Holland, said he is frustrated with the misinformation the Trump administration is sharing regarding tariffs. As a business owner, a majority of his product is purchased from China and can't be found in the United States. He is worried that the tariffs will force him and his customers out of business.
"He's misinforming most of the American public when he keeps saying China is gonna pay all these tariffs. China is gonna do this. China does not pay these tariffs. The importer pays the tariff, who is somebody like myself who brings product in from China."
"Eventually, we're all gonna pay the price," he said, "because if you look at the bottom of everything you buy or look at where it's made, a huge majority of this stuff is made in China. If nobody cared about it for the last 50 years, why all of a sudden should he come in and decide he's gonna change the world?"
— Cassidey Kavathas
Dan Mullet, 88, Big Rapids
Dan Mullet, 88, said he opposed President Donald Trump’s candidacy “from day one.” The early days of Trump’s second term haven’t given the Big Rapids resident reason to change his mind, Mullet said, accusing Trump of deceiving voters and misusing the presidency.
“I just hope we can survive what he’s doing in Washington,” Mullet said. “He is a danger in more ways than I could ever imagine.”
Mullet said Trump has not lived up to campaign promises so far, although he didn’t get into specific issues.
— Arpan Lobo
Dan Aerts, 75, Paris
Dan Aerts, 75, doesn’t believe President Donald Trump has the moral compass the office requires. The Paris, Michigan, resident said he’s worried about funding cuts to public media services like NPR and PBS, calling it “a disaster waiting to happen.” And although he personally isn’t impacted by Trump’s immigration policies, Aerts said the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was wrongly deported and transferred to an El Salvador prison, was a “scandal.”
— Arpan Lobo
Betsy Rhein, 61, Holland
Betsy Rhein, 61, of Holland, harbors a large amount of fear, worry, anxiety and guilt, but not for herself or her family. She worries about marginalized populations.
"I'm highly anxious because our country's system of checks and balances is being disregarded and ignored by those that we've entrusted to protect it," she said.
"Honestly, I feel a bit guilty because I want to leave this country with more freedoms and protections than what I've lived. I fear that that's not going to be possible and I feel guilty that I don't know what to do about it."
— Cassidey Kavathas
Scott Reagan, 56, Cadillac
Scott Reagan, 56, of Cadillac, said he was raised a Republican but voted Democratic, at times, before he decided to stop voting in all presidential elections, sometime before 2008. Reagan said he has concluded politics are designed to divide the country and it doesn't matter who is president. President Donald Trump continued that divisive pattern and made the 2024 presidential election especially divisive, he said. Reagan also does not trust the integrity of the election, saying, "It's rigged; it's actually fake."
The ultimate intention is to create a society with pervasive camera surveillance and no cash transactions so the government can trace everyone's activities through their digital footprints for heightened control, he said.
— Paul Egan
Ruby Meekhof, 66, Cadillac
Ruby Meekhof, 66, of Cadillac, said that as a retired dairy farmer, she has firsthand experience with unfair trade policies directed at the U.S. from Canada and Europe with respect to milk, and she supports what President Donald Trump is trying to do. As she loaded groceries into her vehicle, Meekhof acknowledged grocery prices are still high.
She said she feels fortunate that she is able to absorb the inflation for now and respects the fact that not everyone can. "I realize that we have to go through some pain before things get reset," Meekhof said. She supports 100% the cuts made through the Department of Government Efficiency and said she is frustrated with both Congress and the courts for slowing Trump's progress.
— Paul Egan
Don Shaw, 58, Houghton Lake
Don Shaw, 58, of Houghton Lake, said he's pleased with the Donald Trump presidency so far. The gun dealer and firearms instructor said Trump is "trying to shake everything up," and the country needs that, including spending cuts and removal of undocumented immigrants.
Shaw, a U.S. Air Force veteran of Operation Desert Storm, said he fully supports Trump's choice of former Fox News presenter Pete Hegseth as Defense secretary. Though some have criticized the choice of Hegseth because he lacks command experience, Shaw said the former Army National Guard officer can bring an important perspective from the military rank-and-file.
Though many of the guns Shaw sells are manufactured in Croatia or elsewhere in Europe, he said he has not yet seen price inflation as a result of Trump's tariffs and retaliatory tariffs. "I think in the long run, it's going to end up being better, because if they lower theirs (tariffs), then it opens up the market for our stuff," he said.
— Paul Egan
This series was reported by: Dana Afana, Lily Altavena, Sarah Atwood, Tresa Baldas, Duante Beddingfield, Dave Boucher, Lisa Vidaurri Bowling, Jackie Charniga, Natalie Davies, Paul Egan, Eric Guzmán, Christina Hall, Brad Heineman, Clara Hendrickson, Brendel Hightower, Johnathan Hogan, Violet Ikonomova, Cassidey Kavathas, Georgea Kovanis, Jamie L. LaReau, Eric D. Lawrence, Arpan Lobo, Keith Matheny, Sarah Moore, Darcie Moran, David Rodriguez Muñoz, Corey J. Murray, David Panian, Jenna Prestininzi, Nour Rahal, Nushrat Rahman, Liam Rappleye, Don Reid, JC Reindl, Adrienne Roberts, Andrea May Sahouri, Beki San Martin, Susan Selasky, Kristen Jordan Shamus, Scott Talley, Kristi Tanner, Connor Veenstra, Tess Ware, Niraj Warikoo, Jalen Williams, John Wisely, Suzanne Nolan Wisler and Frank Witsil.