As President Trump takes office, voters in the key swing states of Pennsylvania and North Carolina spoke with ABC News about what they hope Trump does over the next four years, and their hopes for America in that time.
In Pennsylvania, where an assassination attempt on Trump took place on July 13 in Butler County during an open-air rally, Trump won the state’s 19 electoral votes, which ultimately secured his election win.
‘It was America’s choice, and we respect it as the uniqueness of the democracy in America.’
Philadelphia resident Darryl Thomas, a barber who has owned Philly Cuts since 1997, says his “world famous” barber shop has changed locations throughout the city – evolving and growing with the neighborhood.
“Our barbers have matured. They’ve taken care of their families,” Thomas told ABC News, in a pre-inauguration interview, of the “good” he’s seen in Philadelphia. “We’ve stood the test of time through the pandemic.”
Still, Thomas said it’s “hard to make a livable wage” in the city.
While on the campaign trail in her run for president, Vice President Kamala Harris visited Philly Cuts, and Thomas had the opportunity to speak with her, calling it “one of the best days” Philly has seen. “I can definitely tell you I didn’t vote for President Trump,” Thomas said. “But he’s the president.”
“It was America’s choice, and we respect it as the uniqueness of the democracy in America. We have to respect what the majority call for and the majority call for Donald Trump,” he continued. “In the next four years, I’m hoping that our community consolidates, gets tighter, builds a better understanding amongst each other, and moves in a collective force.”
Darryl Thomas’ son, Dannon Thomas, is an accounting major at Delaware State University.
“I didn’t vote for President Trump, but I hope that he will give our community equal representation… provide different jobs and a variety of sectors for kids coming out of school,” Dannon Thomas told ABC News. “I’m one of the few kids… lucky to have all of these men around me to guide me through life and making certain decisions as I mature,” he said.
“Whether it’s word of advice or just guidance through life, everyone here is a tremendous role model.”
Lifelong Philadelphia resident Don McCray told ABC News he hopes “things will work themselves out” during Trump’s presidency.
“I hope for prosperity in our community. I hope for coming together. I hope for more community access,” McCray said. “I hope for health care changes. I just hope for a better day.”
‘I hope that America can learn from its mistakes and realize that we’re all in this together and that we need each other for this to be a successful and prosperous country.’
Yvonne Blake, owner of Philadelphia-based Hakim’s Bookstore, the first and oldest Black bookstore in the Northeast, says her father, Dawud Hakim, opened the store in 1959 after selling African American history and culture books out of the trunk of his car.
“My father was totally committed to his mission of educating not just African Americans, but everyone, about the rich culture and contributions of African Americans to this country and to the world,” Blake told ABC News.
Vice President Kamala Harris visited Hakim’s Bookstore a little over a week before Election Day.
“It was bittersweet because my father never sought recognition for what he was doing… he didn’t want accolades for it,” Blake told ABC News. “To have the vice president honor us by coming to the bookstore, I was just sorry that he wasn’t here to see it.”
Blake hopes Trump “proves that he can do something to make this country better.”
“I hope that America can learn from its mistakes and realize that we’re all in this together and that we need each other for this to be a successful and prosperous country,” Blake said. “We’re all in this, in the world, together — we have to get along,” Blake continued.
“We can’t just keep fighting each other over the same things and losing lives to nonsense. It just doesn’t make sense,” she continued. “We have to have more compassion for each other.”
‘My hope for America in the next four years is that it finds the ability to work together… A lot of the future starts in the local communities. I hope people get involved.’
In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania’s capital, Elementary Coffee Co. owner Andrea Grove started her business in 2014, when she was just 26 years old, at the city’s famous Broad Street Market.
“Coffee brings people together,” Grove told ABC News. “It is something that really, really has the ability to cut through a lot of differences people feel toward each other and create something that is really beautiful and meaningful.”
After the success seen at the market, Elementary Coffee Co. opened their shop on North Street.
“In the next four years, I’m hopeful that there is more togetherness than ever before,” Grove said. “I really do believe that the future is meeting your neighbor over a cup of coffee, meeting somebody walking down the street that also has a dog and creating the future together.”
Grove says she didn’t vote for Trump, but she is optimistic that over the next four years Americans will “realize that they are the change that they want to see.”
“I hope people feel inspired that this is their time,” she said.
“Government, even outside of Trump, is something that has been really divisive and has kind of pulled people apart,” Grove continued. “I do think there is a ton of opportunity to bring people back together over the things that matter to us and see each other as more similar than different.”
Trump also won in North Carolina, taking the swing state’s 16 electoral votes.
‘I hope President Trump gets the job done. I hope a lot of it’s not just talk and that we get results.’
In Concord, Alex Ossip, the general manager of The Sweet Spot – a restaurant that serves breakfast seven days a week – has had to increase the menu’s prices over the years due to inflation.
“In the last three and a half years now, we’ve done 18 increases,” Ossip told ABC News. “We can’t even print menus anymore and keep up.”
Ossip never voted until Trump was on the ballot, saying it’s because he believes Trump “goes against what the norm is.”
“Got a lot of people like me out there just thinking this, this is going to disrupt the whole system. And it did,” he said. “It did in good ways and did in bad ways. But I think overall for the positive.”
In Trump’s second term, Ossip is “hoping to see a lot of things that we saw four years ago.”
“I want to see prices come down for everybody. I want to see the borders get more secure. I want to see our police be respected,” he said.
“I hope President Trump gets the job done. I hope a lot of it’s not just talk and that we get results.”
“I hope we can work across both sides, and everybody just stops the games and the nonsense because at the end of the day, the people that it effects is the middle-class people who struggle paycheck to paycheck just to get by,” Ossip said.
In September, Trump visited The Mosack Group, Inc., manufacturing and distribution facility in Mint Hill, North Carolina – a fourth-generation company that began in Detroit in 1928 and now offers plastic piping solutions that are shipped across North America – speaking for over an hour and focusing on the economy.
We’re looking forward to getting back on the right track. That’s good for really all of America, not just businesses.’
CEO Glenn Mosack said Trump’s visit to the facility was “quite an honor” and “very exciting.”
Mosack also had the opportunity to speak with Trump one on one, and commended his “approach to manufacturing in the United States and doing whatever it takes to bring the jobs into the U.S.”
“I’m excited to see the new administration hit the ground running,” Mosack said. “The No. 1 reason … I voted for President Trump is he’s a business person. I think that having business folks that understand bottom line, understand that it takes good people around you to be successful is a key ingredient to run in this country.”
The Mosack Group currently employs 135 people, and they are hiring. “We’re looking forward to getting back on the right track. That’s good for really all of America, not just businesses, but all folks that work for us is near and dear to me,” Mosack said. “We love to take good care of them. If we’re doing better, we can obviously do more for our employees, as well.”
‘I hope President Trump does try to rein in government waste and reduce spending.’
COO Braxton Mosack, Glenn’s son, shares similar sentiments about the economy that Trump expressed during his visit.
“One of the reasons we voted for Trump was because of his track record during his four years in office and the economic growth and the stability in inflation,” Braxton told ABC News.
“In these next four years, I’m hopeful for solid economic growth … lower inflation than we’ve seen over the course of the last four years,” he continued. “Fair trade throughout the world between the United States and their allies.”
“I’m optimistic about President Trump because he says what he means and does what he says,” Braxton said.
Jen Sartori has worked at The Mosack Group, Inc., for nearly four years as the lead order filler, mainly building pallets to send to Home Depot.
“The reason I voted for President Trump is I like his policies. I like what he stands for. I like that he doesn’t take any flak from people, for a better word,” Sartori told ABC News.
“My hope for America is that prices go down, our economy gets stable, wages can go up, gas go down,” Sartori said. “I just hope [Trump] sticks to his promises.”
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