Trump's economy, as described by 14 New England residents | Voter Vibes

The flurry of changes has many Americans wondering: Where is the economy headed?

To gauge how the first year of the second Trump administration feels to everyday New Englanders, the Globe asked Jankins and 13 other local residents of all ages, races, and political viewpoints what they think of the president’s handling of the economy so far.

Some see this moment as the start of a precipitous decline for the institutions that made the United States a leader on the world stage and are bracing for a recession that could squeeze Americans’ personal finances. Others who support Trump view the past two months as a temporary downturn with a brighter future on the other side, where the White House limits national spending, rightsizes the government, and lightens the financial load on working families.

Jankins, a 56-year-old banker in Sutton, said short-term economic pain may be unavoidable for a president willing to “push that envelope.” But he still needs to be convinced Trump’s economic strategy is the right one.

“He’s a great marketer,” Jankins said. “But as a businessman, it’s not like everything he touches turns to gold.”

Globe reporters will return to these New Englanders periodically to ask for their thoughts on the issues of the moment. But given the import of pocketbook matters on Election Day, and the flurry of economic policies released these last two months, the economy seemed like the right place to start.

Consumer confidence has plunged since January, and an unpredictable stock market has erased gains notched since November. The Federal Reserve released new forecasts that economic growth would be slower and inflation would be faster than anticipated. Deportations could deepen labor shortages in industries that rely on immigrant workers, and grocery costs are such a point of conversation that a no-frills beauty brand recently went viral for selling a dozen eggs for $3.37 in New York City.

White House officials have waved off the financial pain and heightened recession risk as building blocks to a better United States.

“There is a period of transition, because what we’re doing is very big,” Trump said in March on Fox News. “We’re bringing wealth back to America.”

But Somerville resident Ruth Bristol said Trump’s reforms come at the expense of poor and working-class people. A congressional budget endorsed by Trump could threaten funding for key social safety net programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Bristol relies on those food stamps to eat, even with two jobs at a local grocer and as a tour guide at Old North Church.

Trying to plan a financial future as a 24-year-old is dizzying, she said, as Trump issues (and sometimes, retracts) new tariffs that would drive up the cost of everything from wine to steel.

“I’ll be at work, and when I go in, there are tariffs,” said Bristol, who voted for Kamala Harris. “And when I leave there are no tariffs.”

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Sidney Trantham, a clinical psychologist in Boston, is thinking about his budget, too. He and his husband drive an aging Toyota Camry but are hesitant to buy a new car this year, and they’re splitting the cost of a vacation this summer with another couple to lower expenses.

Trantham, who identifies as an independent because of his disillusionment with the Democratic Party, said he worries Trump’s “indiscriminate” funding cuts will set the country up for failure. The “full frontal assault on educators and researchers,” he added, will discourage international students from attending American universities and put the country behind on new innovations in technology and health care.

As someone who grew up in poverty and once relied on public benefits himself, the 56-year-old is also vehemently against Trump’s moves to slash support for veterans, older Americans, and disadvantaged communities, regardless of any claimed benefits on the economy.

“Trump is exclusively cutting taxes for the uber-wealthy. … The goal is not to get rid of waste. The goal is to get rid of the government,” Trantham said. “I don’t want to live in that world.”

But some New Englanders, desperate to see the cost of gas and groceries stabilize, admire Trump’s policies, despite his sometimes chaotic execution. Joe Biden may have left office with wages, corporate profits, and inflation trending in the right direction, but the national debt looms large and is growing fast, with annual federal deficits expected to reach $2.8 trillion in the next decade.

“If you’re running at a deficit, you need to find the issue and correct it. Are they going about it in the most politically clean way? No, but it is what it is,” said Josh Elander, a 25-year-old Trump supporter from the Hampden County town of Southwick. “To get Main Street back up [and] blue-collar people earning better wages, things are going to have to get worse.”

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So far, cuts have been most pronounced among the federal workforce, where Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency have eliminated at least 49,000 jobs in a battle against what they call “bloat and insularity.”

Karen Sysyn of Londonderry, N.H., worked as a housing inspector until February, when she was laid off because of her employer’s worries about threats to federal jobs and funding, the 54-year-old said. Finding another job has been difficult, though she said it’s all for the greater good.

“If losing my job is what’s going to help the American people and the economy to get stronger, I’m all for it,” said Sysyn, who voted for Trump in 2020 and 2024.

Darryll White, 65 of Skowhegan, Maine, said Trump so far has targeted agencies with “serious issues,” as he put it. As a first-time Trump voter who previously preferred write-in candidates, White said federal funding will continue to flow to places it is truly needed, following a period of review. That includes federal funding that is funneled through the state for a project in Lake George Regional Park, public land for swimming and hiking that White leads as director.

“I have not been given any reason to think that the contract would not be honored,” he said.

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Not everyone has that faith. Several voters told the Globe that they have pulled money out of the stock market, fretted for their retirement accounts, and watched their real estate investments suffer since Trump came to power again.

Justina Perry, a 36-year-old Democrat in New Bedford, said her family is only spending money on essentials and shopping more at local businesses as a form of protest against companies eliminating diversity efforts and supporting Trump. At the physical therapy clinic she runs, people are already keeping a closer eye on their pocketbooks.

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“I have had patients scheduled [who] say, ‘I’m gonna cancel because I’m not sure, I work for the government, I’m not sure where my job will be.’ People are being more conservative about spending,” Perry said. “I think he’s attacking the economy.”

Ivan Sanchez mostly hopes for stability. The 48-year-old voted Republican for the first time this past election because he felt Trump offered the best chance for the auto shop and grocery store he owns around Rhode Island. New tariffs mean the tires he needs for repairs at his auto shop will likely cost more, and produce costs at his grocery store are rising as the agricultural industry prepares for a dearth of immigrant workers.

Sanchez, a Johnston resident, said he planned to expand his food distribution company with a new location soon but is holding off until the economy settles.

“I don’t want to think beyond a couple months … for the sake of the uncertainty going on,” he said. “I’m just getting ready.”

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Ed Fitzpatrick, Brian Macquarrie, and Steven Porter of the Globe staff contributed to this report.

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Diti Kohli can be reached at diti.kohli@globe.com. Follow her @ditikohli_. Matt Stout can be reached at matt.stout@globe.com. Follow him @mattpstout. Anjali Huynh can be reached at anjali.huynh@globe.com. Omar Mohammed can be reached at omar.mohammed@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter (X) @shurufu. Sabrina Shankman can be reached at sabrina.shankman@globe.com.