Over the years, the dominant media have become infamous for touting Republicans who decide to support a Democrat for President. But on Wednesday's New Day, viewers got to see a rare example of the media highlighting the opposite in the form of a group of former Democrats in Ohio who switched parties, voted for Donald Trump, and still support him enthusiastically.
Near the end of the 7:00 a.m. hour on January 17, a pre-recorded report showed CNN correspondent Martin Savidge setting up his discussion with former Youngstown, Ohio, Democrats:
Anywhere you look in Youngstown are reminders of what's been lost -- factories, jobs. The city's population is down by almost two-thirds since the 1950s. The economy wasn't just disappearing here -- so was a way of life.
After soundbites of two panel members complaining about what the "direction" of the country had been, the CNN correspondent added:
The answer for many was Donald Trump. In 2016 -- according to the Mahoning County Board of Elections -- approximately 7,000 registered Democrats switched parties to become Republicans.
After showing clips of these Trump voters complaining about what the state of the economy has been in recent years, Savidge asked them how they felt about President Trump's performance so far, leading to several approving responses including "fantastic," "phenomenal," and "better than I ever would have dreamed,"
The panel members then showed support for Trump's approach to enforcing immigration laws, with Savidge describing their views as being about "rules and respect" for the law. The CNN correspondent also noted that they all still want the border wall.
One panel member recalled that he has warmed up to the way the President uses Twitter to get his message out, and another Trump voter who is black disputed accusations that the President is a "racist."
They also viewed the economy as improving, and one panel member voiced optimism that inner cities would benefit from greater investment because of "Trump's tax reform."
Savidge was then seen asking: "Do you think the media gives the President a fair shake?" After several of them answered, "No," there was a voice over from Savidge in which he added: "One year later, these voters couldn't be happier. They see achievement -- most of all, they see a President like them."
