Ground report California: Kamala Harris' backyard has Trump supporters too

“I find it incomprehensible that anyone, I mean anyone, can vote for Donald Trump” — Roxanne, a middle-aged American woman, spelt out her stand to us along with her partner, Richard, while at the Golden Gate in San Francisco.

In California on the West Coast, the state with the highest number of electoral votes, Democrats hold the sway for long now. The result is such a foregone conclusion in the state that neither Trump nor Kamala Harris plan to campaign a lot here.

This is also Harris’s backyard, with she being the quintessential ‘Californian girl’ born here in Oakland, graduating from the UC Law College in San Francisco, and serving as the district attorney of San Francisco and Attorney General of California. She entered politics as the senator from California in 2017.

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While there is strong support for Harris here, especially among women who seem to be yearning for the US’s first woman president, it is somewhat looked down upon to speak in favour of Donald Trump. Many Americans we spoke to here liked Trump but would not say so on record.

Trump’s support base

Chuck, living in California’s capital of Sacramento, however, is different as he proudly showcases ‘Support Trump’ banners outside his home.

“Trump is extremely strong on border policies, about having border restrictions and border control. He is the right person for our economy, being a successful businessman. He has shown in his past presidency that he can balance our budget and help us be energy-independent,” Chuck told us, highlighting the high gas prices.

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He said Joe Biden hasn’t shown that he cares on the front of the economy. “He does not really care about the wars in the Middle East or the Gaza Strip or Ukraine-Russia. I think Trump is the one who can get us back on track, and back where we need to be,” Chuck said. He cited the recent Vice-Presidential debate to claim that Republicans had an edge.

Len Eisen, who also lives in Sacramento, told us that immigration, economy, and world diplomatic scene (the two wars) were the most important issues in the US elections.

“Under the current administration, we are being slow-walked into a world war. Nobody seems to be at home at this point. Trump is a hands-on diplomat; he keeps an open mind on communication as opposed to no communication in the current administration that we have today. He has a proven record of success in expressing American views,” Eisen said.

He said the current Harris-Biden administration caters to the elite while Trump may be rough around the edges, but people want him to be the one to get a grip on the economy. “Trump is someone who has the interests of Americans on his mind rather than just world interests. Americans are tired of the latter… the Biden administration has no policies,” Eisen said.

On the main freeway between Sacramento and San Francisco, we also spotted a miles-long ‘Trump Train’ — a cavalcade of 100s of vehicles sporting ‘Support Trump’ flags.

Women back Harris

Many women that we spoke to in California, however, yearn for Kamala Harris, the local girl, to become the first woman US President.

“For us, the big danger is what Trump poses to democracy as his presidency was marked by chaos. People are frightened that if gets back to the presidency, there will be no guard rails. The issue is the rights and freedom of women. If Trump comes to power, he will surely press for a federal ban on abortion,” Roxanne in San Francisco claimed.

She said Trump was a thief and a liar. “As a woman, I am appalled at his behaviour in the past, the way he condones more than inappropriate behaviour against women. We are ready for a woman president, there is no question about it,” Roxanne said. Her partner, Richard, said the assassination attempts against Trump were “horrible” but they would not sway sympathy votes in his favour.  

“The vast majority of voters have made up their minds already,” Richard said.

Roxanne said the voters should not be undecided any more as the country’s democratic values are at stake. However, as many silent Trump supporters in California say, a lot will depend on how the votes stack up.

“If Trump sweeps the mid-western states and some of the red states there turn blue, America is in for some history,” Chuck told us.