Donald Trump tells supporters critics are doing to him "what they want to do to you"

With midterm elections approaching, analysts cited in the article expect Republicans led by Donald Trump to lose ground, and a Reuters/Ipsos poll put his approval at 31%. The piece explores why many poor and working-class voters in Appalachia and similar rural areas still back him despite what the article describes as economic hardship and cuts to food aid. Sociologist Arlie Hochschild, who has studied eastern Kentucky, says Trump appeals by acknowledging supporters’ financial strain and diminished standing, then casting himself as someone criticized by elites. She points to a pattern: after Trump makes a remark and media figures criticize it, he tells backers that he is enduring the same disrespect they face, a message she says helps sustain his connection with them.