Thought the change over would be enough to keep me away for awhile. Guess not.
Somewhere in the old days, someone asked about the Trump Flag, status. Just took my kid back to school (2nd time in a week…lol) Anyhow, she goes to school on the west side (near one heart of the conservative movement). Not the clan one based in Howell (well cohocta but i go further from the point). I did this drive in 2016 for a campus visit, I have done it multiple times since 2020 since my daughter now attends.
in 2016 Trip, I recall the shock of how many Trump signs, banners and things we saw, it was eye opening then. When we returned in 2020 I noted a drop off maybe 1/2 to 3/4 as many. and then over the next 4 yrs it has waned, occasionally something would happen and we notice a slight uptick in signs. This trip and last week, the lack of signs was very noticeable, as in not really sure if I saw any. Some of this is the one sign here or there is not memorable, so there probably were some, but the grandiose, multiple flags, or monuments were long gone, No trump flags with a Tank in the middle anymore, and there was nothing that even remotely got my attention, no billboard signs in peoples front yards, no banners flapping in the breeze.
I’ll be back there a few more times before the election, but I cant believe much will change. This is why I think Michigan will go Harris. Sure the guy in our sub still has his 4 flag display in the walk up to his front door, only really visible when looking straight onto the house. He has tied one up so people can get around it to his front door…LOL But even the ProLife houses with signs about supporting life, don’t have trump signs in them.
Anyhow, just thought I would brave this new site, to give an update.
Same vibe as you travel farther N on 75. Distinctly fewer bumper stickers this (very busy) weekend.
Off of the hwy. there are some campaign signs in the yards, but not like 2020. No Magat flags on pontoons, or ATV’s either.
The occasional Pink Flamingo trailer park’r who complains about inflation and the CoL has hundreds of $ wrapped up in some new banners though.
Head to the UP next weekend, so will get the I75 and US 2 view then.
So are his supporters just going quiet or are there truly less supporters? I know on the west side, a few of the areas that elected (ill say MAGA) people into school boards, and county positions, are now getting them kicked off, and having issues, I wonder if this is a factor.
I purchased a travel van from a dealership in Jacksonville Florida 3 weeks ago. I flew down from Wyoming and did the paperwork and took my time on the drive home. Drove through Fla, Alabama, Miss, Arkansas, Texas, Colorado, and Wyoming. I started counting Trump signs/flags as I noticed a lack of them compared to previous years. I counted less than 20. Now I stayed on mostly larger roads but just a lot less. Maybe people are coming to their senses or just don’t want to support con man.
My anecdotal evidence of yearly cross country travels tells me that MAGA Trump displays are fewer and fewer. The Harris team is also making a point to go into the 70-30 Trump counties in an effort to turn those into 65-35 outcomes, that when added up over the state may just flip it from red to blue.
Hard to say if they are going quiet, and/or fewer. The rabid ones are still blindly rabid. Throughout 2024 though, I have had some conversations with “Trump-Red” N. MI.'ganders" concerning Democrat positions. First, the Trumpers had no idea that students were still on the hook for loans even when the lender went out of business. The second was a hypothetical. I asked… If they or their family had been hospitalized in 2020-21 with any!! deadly infectious disease, and Fauci, Jones, Rogan, Limbaugh, and Bongino came to the room to consult… Who’s medical advice would you heed? These backwoods Dan’l Boone wannabes looked at eo and said “Well… Fauci.”
Caveat – During both conversations, FOX was not on the screen, and there was Fireball present.
I’ve got this thing - nothing more than a feeling, really, based on nothing more that instinct plus guess - that Trump’s support is going to crumble in the lead up to the election.
The hardcore nutters will stick with him. But my sense is that fatigue is setting in. His schtick of being a asshole, being confrontational, and saying what he pleases without reference to the real world is wearing thin. My money is on a good chunk of his support sitting this out come election day - not switching; just not voting.
I see a lot fewer flags in my very Trumpy area. But even more noticeable is a complete lack of the roadside merchandise stands that were around for years. And, as you mentioned, there are precisely 0 of the homemade sheet of plywood yard billboards.
Unfortunately that doesn’t mean they aren’t still voting for him. November can’t get here soon enough.
Now I haven’t visited this year, nor did I visit in 2020. But as I’ve said my mom used to like 30 minutes north of Mt Pleasant off 127. Quite a few confederate flags out there.
In mid 2020 she bought a new place 10 minutes north of Mt Pleasant. The shell station in town is the only place I’ve seen a biden i did this sticker on a gas pump.
Many Trump flags and yard signs popping up here in rural VA. Not unexpected. But also seeing more Harris signs in the nearby burbs and urban areas than I saw Biden signs this time four years ago. So that’s promising.
I’ve been at the cottage on Lake Huron up in the thumb the last two weeks. Also anecdotal but there are far fewer Trump flags than during the 4th of July week. Also a surprising amount of Harris/Walz signs.
I was just in Arizona for a week. Flew into Phoenix, drove to Flagstaff, Page, Sedona. I wasn’t expecting much in Sedona, and didn’t see anything. In Flagstaff, Page and the rural areas we drove through, I was hoping to see lots of nutters. Saw exactly 1 Trump crazy truck in Cottonwood, 1 TRUMP/LAKE sign roadside in Phoenix,…and that was it.
