Almost 6 in 10 voters in St. Mary鈥檚 County, Maryland, cast their 2024 presidential ballots for Donald Trump. Two months into his second term, a sampling of voters are concerned about federal job cuts at Patuxent River Naval Air Station.
On Thursday morning 鈥� two months since Trump was sworn in 鈥� diners at Linda鈥檚 Caf茅, on the town borders of Lexington Park and California, took a few minutes between forks full of omelets, thick slices of bacon and hash browns, to offer a snapshot of how they鈥檙e feeling 60 days into the new administration.
鈥滻 don鈥檛 know yet, I鈥檓 just kind of going to sit back and watch 鈥� we did things for a long time one way, and it didn鈥檛 kind of work out,鈥� said one man, a military contractor, seated at the end of the counter. 鈥淎nd this is a drastic change.鈥�
Voters who spoke with 91欧美激情 cited inflation during the Biden administration as the main reason Trump was reelected.
鈥漁verall, I would say there was a lot of optimism, a lot of hope to see things go the right way, right now I think there鈥檚 a lot of uncertainty,鈥� said another diner, who owns a nearby steakhouse.
Many of the customers said recent federal job cuts, as well as the Trump administration鈥檚 return-to-office mandate has the area in flux.
鈥滿ost times, when we want change, we want it to affect other people, not ourselves,鈥� said the military contractor. 鈥淎nd this is affecting quite a lot of people.鈥�
Approximately 10% of St. Mary鈥檚 County鈥檚 workforce consists of federal employees.
Traditionally Republican, many county Trump voters have lost their jobs with the ongoing downsizing of the federal government.
鈥漈here鈥檚 some folks who didn鈥檛 expect this 鈥� didn鈥檛 see themselves as being the fraud that was being referenced,鈥� said the military contractor, referring to the Trump and “Department of Government Efficiency” efforts to reduce fraud and waste within the federal government.
The steakhouse owner is worried over how uncertainty at the Patuxent River base, which is two miles south, would affect the St. Mary鈥檚 economy.
鈥滱 lot of people鈥檚 jobs are at stake 鈥� that base is kind of our breadwinner,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o, any pressure, or any threat to that base kind of hurts us, as a community.”
Restaurant owner Linda Palchinsky said for the past few years, starting with COVID, many of her customers were Patuxent employees who were working from home, who would stop by for breakfast.
鈥淣ow, they鈥檙e rushing to get on the base, because it鈥檚 bumper to bumper traffic to get on there now,鈥� Palchinsky said. 鈥淲hen I鈥檇 come to work at 5:30 in the morning, there used to be no one else on the road.鈥�
As for her personal opinion on the first 60 days of the Trump administration?
鈥滻 learned a long time ago I don鈥檛 discuss politics or religion in my business. I just say 鈥榞ood morning, thank you for coming, I appreciate it,鈥� and let it go like that. But I do hear a lot,鈥� she joked.
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