Exactly one year ago today, Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the race for the presidency.
The vote was a tough choice for many Texans – four of whom the Texas Standard spoke with about their indecision leading up to election day.
Josh Thompson was one of those undecided voters. He’s a homebuilder in Tyler, and the only one in our series who ended up voting for the now-president. It’s a decision he says he didn’t make until he stepped into the voting booth – and one he wasn’t even thrilled with at the time.
“I honestly walked out and I kinda was like, man I need to go take a shower,” Thompson told the Texas Standard’s Michael Marks on election day. “I don’t love who I voted for, I need to go take a shower – I feel dirty now that voted for Donald Trump.”
A year later, he reflects on that feeling:
“I remember feeling dirty because I really don’t like Donald Trump as a person,” Thompson says. “I don’t usually try to hang out with people that I feel are incredibly arrogant and somewhat demeaning to other people.”
Between then and now, he says that he’s not pleased with how Trump has conducted himself in office. However, Thompson says that he approves of some of Trump’s governing.
“I think there’s some indirect things he’s been able to do,” he says. “I think he is significantly more pro-business than the previous administration in general. He’s rolled back some regulations, specifically in the healthcare environment.”
And he says that among his community, there’s still a positive perception of Trump’s presidency.
“I really believe people are feeling pretty optimistic,” Thompson says. “Tyler is a very conservative town in the area of our state so I think by nature, people are very welcoming to conservative principles to some degree.”
Post by Alexandra Hart
