Trump fever has broken in small town America, judging by appearances. I have just arrived in north-eastern Pennsylvania for the dog days of summer in a former mining community nestled among beautiful hills by the mighty Susquehanna river. In 2020 it was a riot of Donald Trump flags and yard signs, portraying him as Rambo brandishing a bazooka and in other heroic poses. Today, there are almost none. It is a shocking turnaround. Are Trump supporters lying low or have they disappeared?
This is Luzerne county, part of the Democratic “blue-wall” that crumbled in 2016 and propelled Trump to victory against Hillary Clinton. In 2020 Trump beat Joe Biden here by 57 per cent to 42 per cent. People used to boast they were “proud deplorables” in response to Clinton’s famous insult. Where have they all gone? I can’t say for sure, but the neighbourhood feels moderately more prosperous, younger, more diverse and less angry. Near-full employment and the absence of the pandemic may have something to do with the atmosphere.
