Immigration and the economy were among the top priorities for American voters in the November 2024 election. But how do Americans feel about the economy now, a month after President Trump took office? To learn more about this issue, VOA spoke with several Washington residents.
Inflation in the United States rose 3% in January, but some supporters of President Donald Trump in Simi Valley, California, are confident that his administration will eventually curb it, A2 reports.
"There's a reason some prices have gone up, and many of the prices may never return to their previous levels. But they won't continue to go up after we fix the economy," Jeff Mirliss, a supporter of President Trump, told VOA.
"The other day I paid more for gas, but that doesn't matter to me because in the future I know my children will benefit in some way and our economy will grow," says Rebecca Jusino, a supporter of President Trump.
Michael Bernacki downplayed concerns from some economists that President Trump's plans to impose tariffs on other countries could result in further price increases.
"Tariffs are necessary to ensure fairer and better economic deals for the things we buy from other countries and for what these countries buy from us," says Michael Bernacki, a supporter of President Trump.
Eung Lee, the owner of an auto repair shop in Falls Church, Virginia, voted Democratic in the presidential election. He's already seeing an increase in customers who are reluctant to spend money on car repairs. If tariffs are imposed on parts, he says he'll be forced to raise prices for his customers.
"I don't buy parts directly from Canada, Mexico or China, but we have a middleman. If they raise prices for me, then I will be forced to raise prices for my customers. Otherwise, I can't operate the business," he says.
Douglas Crocker, a restaurant owner in Washington, D.C., who voted for the Democratic nominee in the presidential election, is also making changes to his business due to rising inflation.
“We deal with a number of different wholesale buyers and are now forced to plan for price increases in the budget for purchasing items needed for our business,” he says.
Constantine Stavropoulos is a restaurant owner in Washington. Tariffs on items like vegetables from Mexico could force him to raise food prices at his restaurant. Although he didn't vote for President Trump, he's optimistic that some of the policies the president has proposed will move the economy in the right direction.
"My only hope is that he implements the proposal to not tax employee tips. That would help the restaurant industry," he says.
Mr. Stavropoulos would like to see a decision by President Trump's administration to reduce energy costs, because this affects the cost of trucking food items. / Voice of America (A2 Televizion)
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