- Title: When you're a dying Ohio town, Trump is a savior
- Date: 28th October 2016
- Summary: MIDDLETOWN, OHIO, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 25, 2016) (REUTERS - Broadcasters: NONE Digital: NONE) VACANCY SIGN IN STORE FRONT MAN WALKING BY CLOSED MOVIE THEATER AND ABANDONED SHOP GRAFFITI ON FRONT DOORS OF CLOSED MOVIE THEATER BOARDED UP STOREFRONT MAN PUSHING SHOPPING CART DOWN STREET MIDDLETOWN, OHIO, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 24, 2016) (REUTERS - Broadcasters: NONE Digital: NONE) VARIOUS OF FACTORY LINE PRODUCING STEEL TUBES ANGELA PHILLIPS, OWNER OF MIDDLETOWN TUBE WORKS, INSPECTING INVENTORY (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANGELA PHILLIPS, OWNER OF MIDDLETOWN TUBE WORKS, SAYING: "Middletown I would say is a typical hardworking, middle class, blue collar, a lot of blue collar jobs here and when it was great it had been great. We had a great downtown, there were lots of things to do, lots of people." VARIOUS OF STEEL TUBES ON FACTORY LINE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANGELA PHILLIPS, OWNER OF MIDDLETOWN TUBE WORKS, SAYING: "I don't agree with everything that Donald Trump says but I agree with the policies he's going after. I agree with the fact that America should be America first." VARIOUS OF QUALITY CONTROL MANAGER WORKING IN FACTORY (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCOTT KING, QUALITY CONTROL MANAGER AT MIDDLETOWN TUBE WORKS, SAYING: "I'm personally tired of all the politicians and all the games and him not being a politician is appealing to me. Sometimes he says some things that I wish he wouldn't say sometimes, but I think he's real and when he has stubbed his toe he's gotten in front of it and said it probably wasn't the best thing to say." VARIOUS OF AK STEEL MILL (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCOTT KING, QUALITY CONTROL MANAGER AT MIDDLETOWN TUBE WORKS, SAYING: "He says some things that aren't presidential, but maybe it's time for non-presidential." VARIOUS OF SHUTTERED PAPER MILL (SOUNDBITE) (English) NICK WILSON, OWNER OF BIG AL'S MUFFLER & BRAKES, SAYING: "It's not the shiny city that it once was, I mean it's been in decline for 20 years." VARIOUS OF BIG AL'S MUFFLER & BRAKES SERVICE CENTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) NICK WILSON, OWNER OF BIG AL'S MUFFLER & BRAKES, SAYING: "I'm not racist or anything but I do think borders need to be controlled and I think Americans should have first opportunities on jobs." VARIOUS OF NICK WILSON WORKING BEHIND FRONT DESK VARIOUS OF VEHICLE BEING SERVICED (SOUNDBITE) (English) NICK WILSON, OWNER OF BIG AL'S MUFFLER & BRAKES, SAYING: "I think if he loses, I think the Republican Party is gonna be in deep trouble. And I think you know something is gonna break out of that if he doesn't get elected." VARIOUS OF MECHANIC CHANGING OIL ON A CAR LICENCE PLATE FOR VINTAGE CHEVY VINTAGE CHEVY PULLING UP ON CAR LIFT (SOUNDBITE) (English) JIM STICKLEN, TRUMP SUPPORTER, SAYING: "I have all the faith in Trump. I believe him and I really felt all along, he's the one person I could trust because she is a crook." VARIOUS OF VINTAGE CHEVY GOING UP ON CAR LIFT (SOUNDBITE) (English) JIM STICKLEN, TRUMP SUPPORTER, SAYING: "If you're asking my opinion, she should be in jail." MIDDLETOWN, OHIO, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 25, 2016) (REUTERS - Broadcasters: NONE Digital: NONE) MAIN STREET MIDDLETOWN "FOR SALE" SIGN IN EMPTY STOREFRONT "FOR LEASE" SIGN BEHIND CHAIN-LINK FENCE VARIOUS OF PAWN SHOP ALONG MAIN STREET VARIOUS OF CLOSED MOVIE THEATER BOARDED UP STOREFRONT WOMAN WALKING DOG ALONG MAIN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (English) JIM STICKLEN, TRUMP SUPPORTER, SAYING: "I think we're gonna suddenly become a socialist country. I think that all this crap that she's promised people, you can tell by the poor neighborhoods, what she's done or will do." MIDDLETOWN, OHIO, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 24, 2016) (REUTERS - Broadcasters: NONE Digital: NONE) VARIOUS OF BOWLING (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRIS THEILE, TRUMP SUPPORTER, SAYING: "Nobody's on our side. The little guy gets stomped on and we carry the load in the country pretty much. And it doesn't seem like anybody's really what's best for the country, they're just what's best for them, or best for their side, not what's best for us as a whole." VARIOUS OF CHRIS THEILE BOWLING (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRIS THEILE, TRUMP SUPPORTER, SAYING: "Hopefully he can bring some jobs, he's a businessman, he knows the ins and outs of business and hopefully he can get something going here." HAMILTON, OHIO, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 25, 2016) (REUTERS - Broadcasters: NONE Digital: NONE) VARIOUS OF TRUMP, CLINTON CAMPAIGN SIGNS DEMOCRATIC WORKERS OUTSIDE BUTLER COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOCELYN BUCARO, CHAIR OF BUTLER COUNTY DEMOCRATS, SAYING: "Hillary is the only candidate in this race with a plan to actually help people who need it. Donald Trump has offered no solutions other than let's build a wall and start a trade war with China, neither of which is gonna solve our problems." MIDDLETOWN, OHIO, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 25, 2016) (REUTERS - Broadcasters: NONE Digital: NONE) VARIOUS TRUMP FLAG AND CONFEDERATE FLAG IN FRONT YARD BUMPER STICKER THAT READS "OHIO FOR TRUMP" (SOUNDBITE) (English) RICHARD RILEY, TRUMP SUPPORTER, SAYING: "When people come into the United States, I think they outta go by our policies, I don't think we ought to change our laws, press one for English." RICHARD RILEY TALKING TO FRIEND TATOO OF CONFEDERATE FLAG ON RICHARD RILEY'S ARM THAT READS "SOUTHERN PRIDE" TRUMP FLAG AND CONFEDERATE FLAG IN FRONT YARD VARIOUS OF MAIN STREET IN MIDDLETOWN VARIOUS OF MIDDLETOWN WATER TOWER
- Embargoed: 12th November 2016 14:56
- Keywords: Ohio swing state Trump Clinton election politics campaign Rust Belt Midwest trade steel NAFTA TPP Republican
- Location: MIDDLETOWN, OHIO, UNITED STATES / HAMILTON, OHIO, UNITED STATES
- City: MIDDLETOWN, OHIO, UNITED STATES / HAMILTON, OHIO, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA00155XQJ47
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The latest opinion polls in the U.S. presidential race show Republican nominee Donald Trump trailing his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
But in the battlground state of Ohio, polls show the real estate developer maintains a lead. A visit to one struggling southwestern town will tell you why.
Like the rest of America's rust belt, Middletown was a once booming industrial city in the Midwest known for its strong steel industry and paper mills.
It was your classic middle-class community powered by blue-collar workers in manufacturing jobs.
But those days are long gone. The town has been in deep decline for decades.
In 2008 just before the beginning of President Barack Obama's first term, Middletown was named one of America's fastest dying towns by Forbes magazine citing a median household income of $37,000 and an increase in the poverty level.
Little has changed since then. Factories have shut down. Jobs have gone overseas. What's left is an eye sore.
"When it was great it had been great. We had a great downtown, there were lots of things to do, lots of people," said Angela Phillips, CEO of Middletown Tube Works.
Her company, which manufactures steel tubes for the automotive and HVAC industry, is one of the few that haven't left Middletown.
Phillips, who initially backed Senator Ted Cruz during the primary, switched to Trump after watching the first primary debate. She was won over by the real estate mogul's plan to bring jobs back to America.
"I don't agree with everything that Donald trump says but I agree with the policies he's going after. I agree with the fact that America should be America first," said Phillips.
It's a message that's resonating with many other factory workers in this town who have seen businesses go under because of America's trade deals with the world.
Scott King, a quality control manager at Middletown Tube Works, says he's voting for Trump because he believes the Republican nominee will make due on his promise to gut trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), all while being honest and straightforward.
"I'm personally tired of all the politicians and all the games and him not being a politician is appealing to me. Sometimes he says some things that I wish he wouldn't say sometimes but I think he's real and when he has stubbed his toe he's gotten in front of it and said it probably wasn't the best thing to say," said King.
In its glory days, most of the jobs in Middletown came from AK Steel. It was the biggest steel factory in town employing 7,500 workers. Most of its employees spent their entire career working in the mill.
But the company slowly lost its competitive edge in a growing global steel industry.
Although AK Steel still has a presence in Middletown, the company has significantly downsized. It now employs about 2,000 workers.
For those who have lived or worked in Middletown for most of their lives, seeing the slow downfall of their once vibrant town has been tough.
"It's not the shiny city that it once was, I mean it's been in decline for 20 years."
For small business owners especially, it's been a struggle.
Nick Wilson is one of the lucky ones. He's managed to keep his auto service center open for 30 years. But during that time, he's had to downsize and lay off employees to make ends meet.
His business is located in the heart of downtown, so he's had a front row seat to its demise.
The Trump supporter says it's time for a president who will bring back jobs to the Midwest by scrapping bad trade deals and doing whatever it takes to keep American jobs safe from illegal immigrants.
"I'm not racist or anything but I do think borders need to be controlled and I think Americans should have first opportunities on jobs," said Wilson.
That sentiment is echoed by many others who have witnessed the troubling downturn of their once beloved town that has yet to recover.
After eight years of an Obama presidency that Trump supporters say has done nothing to get Middletown back on its feet, they're ready to pass the baton on to someone who will get the job done.
"I have all the faith in Trump. I believe him and I really felt all along, he's the one person I could trust because she is a crook," said Jim Sticklen, a life-long resident of Middletown, "If you're asking my opinion, she should be in jail."
Sticklen often takes his vintage Chevrolet for a ride through the city's downtown. It's just about the only thing that shines along a depressed Main Street.
Stores have been boarded up and abandoned. The movie theater has shut down. The sidewalks are empty. Hardly anyone can be seen walking into any of the businesses, except for the pawn shops that are on each block.
It seems the only thriving form of entertainment left in Middletown is the local bowling alley.
On a recent Monday afternoon in October, it was bustling with high schoolers, families, and couples on a date.
Chris Theile, a middle-class worker who works in the nursing home industry, is a regular at the bowling alley.
The independent says he's voting Republican this time because he believes Trump will shake things up in Washington and fight for the middle class.
"Nobody's on our side. The little guy gets stomped on and we carry the load in the country pretty much. And it doesn't seem like anybody's really what's best for the country, they're just what's best for them, or best for their side, not what's best for us as a whole," said Theile.
In this city of 48,000 people that was in former House Speaker John Boehner's district, Trump's tough stance on trade deals, second amendment rights, and immigration has created a loyal following of supporters who would never consider turning their backs on him.
"When people come into the United States, I think they ought to go by our policies, I don't think we ought to change our laws, press one for English," said Richard Riley, referring to an option that's provided on some phone calls for Spanish-speaking individuals, who make up the largest immigrant group in the U.S..
Riley, a 66-year-old retired steel worker who has lived in Middletown his entire life is not shy about his support for the Republican candidate.
A huge Trump sign and Confederate flag wave predominantly in his front yard. And he's not alone.
Most of the yards in Middletown are dotted with Trump signs.
There's only a handful of yards showing support for his opponent Hillary Clinton.
But that hasn't discouraged Democratic Party workers from reaching out to voters in this Trump stronghold.
Clinton volunteers are forging ahead with a ground game as early voting in the state has been underway for weeks.
"Hillary is the only candidate in this race with a plan to actually help people who need it. Donald Trump has offered no solutions other than let's build a wall and start a trade war with China, neither of which is gonna solve our problems," said Jocelyn Bucaro, the Democratic chair in Butler County, which is where Middletown is located.
Despite polls that give Clinton the upper hand nationwide, a loss for Trump is something his supporters in Middletown cannot fathom. "I think if he loses, I think the Republican Party is gonna be in deep trouble and I think something is gonna break out of that if he doesn't get elected," said Wilson. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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