Americans offer hope, prayer in assessing Trump's 100 days
They are young and old: a high school student who can't yet vote, a Vietnam vet who did so proudly. They hail from all corners of the United States and very different walks of life: a "downhome boy" from Kentucky, a third-generation Mexican-American from Texas, a stay-at-home mom in Pennsylvania, an Iranian immigrant in Los Angeles.
Some oppose Donald Trump and all that he stands for, while others voted enthusiastically for him. Now, they are critiquing him.
One hundred days into Trump's presidency, The Associated Press returned to some of the everyday people interviewed these past months to ask them to write a letter to the president, evaluating the job he's done so far and looking ahead to the months to come.
One supporter tells the president he "might have fallen a little short" - on Obamacare, in particular - but he signs off "with hope." A refugee implores Trump to "make America more friendly," but finds optimism in the president's reaction to this month's chemical attack in Syria: "I hope this is a turning point." A Trump objector calls his biggest accomplishment "waking up the public to fight." She offers this advice: "Make decisions with your heart. It will give you wisdom."
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FROM RURAL AMERICA, A SUPPORTER SEES HOPE IN TRUMP'S PRESIDENCY
Alan Halsey, 31, is a self-described "downhome boy" from Campton, Kentucky, who along with his wife owns and operates The Swift Creek Courier, a weekly newspaper, and Halsey's Country Store, "a small business that is a chunk of 1950 set down in 2017." He says he works seven days a week to try to provide for his family, but is struggling and tired of government regulation and red tape.
He wrote:
". I supported you quite strongly in the 2016 election, even to the point of hanging one of your signs on the front door of my business. I particularly related to your foreign policy of 'America First,' and your promise to bring business back to the United States. So far, I believe you're heading in the right direction on that front, and I find a glimmer of hope in the future of the American economy. .
"Overall, I think you might have fallen a little short on your first 100 days, but I don't put a lot of weight into a time frame that small. Provided you serve two terms, 100 days is about 4 percent of that. I still feel that something needs to be done with the Affordable Care Act, although I'm not certain exactly what. ... I know many ACA recipients that visit a doctor more than once a week, while those that purchase their own insurance wait until a visit to a doctor is imperative to their survival. There must be a middle to that scenario. ..."
He signed his letter: "With Hope."
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CANCER SURVIVOR WORRIES OVER TRUMP'S PROPOSED BUDGET CUTS, BUT PRAYS FOR HIM
Rebecca Esparza, 45, is a freelance writer in Corpus Christi, Texas, who didn't vote for Trump. A cancer survivor, Esparza fears proposed budget cuts targeting the nation's premier medical research institution, the National Institutes of Health, will hurt Americans who battle illness.
She wrote:
". I cannot say I'm proud of your work so far. However, I have respect for the Office of the President, even if I disagree with your political aspirations. ... I could write a dissertation on the many ways I disagree with your political ideals. I'm a third-generation Mexican-American, born and raised in South Texas. Your disdain for Mexico, its descendants and immigrants in general troubles me. Your plan to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, leaving millions of Americans with no other health insurance options, leaves me anguished.
"But what distresses me most is your plan to cut nearly $6 billion in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). On Thanksgiving Day in 2001, at age 30, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. ... Cancer research saved my life. ... The cuts you are proposing are disconcerting not only for cancer survivors, but for millions of Americans suffering from many types of chronic and rare diseases. ...
"I'll be praying for you, President Trump. ... I pray you will carefully consider how your decisions have life or death consequences for hard-working Americans."
Read more about Esparza.
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ONE-TIME OBAMA VOTER FEELS PRIDE IN TRUMP'S WORK
Laverne Jones Gore, 60, owns an executive leadership development company in Cleveland and voted for Trump after previously supporting Barack Obama. Gore calls herself a "middle-class American who happens to be black" and says she felt uncomfortable voicing her opinion during the Obama years, but Trump has "made me proud to be an American again." Part of a military family - her deceased husband was a Marine and a son graduated from West Point - Gore's one hesitation these past 100 days is over Trump's airstrike in Syria.
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