President-elect Donald Trump’s character, immigration policies and the economy has many Chicago-area voters feeling apprehensive or excited — depending which way they voted — about his second term that starts Monday.
The Sun-Times asked Chicago-area voters to weigh in about how they feel about Trump, and their thoughts about what could happen during his administration’s first 100 days. What do they want him to do? What worries them about what he could do during that period? Here’s how some voters responded.
Stephen Kaim, 60, IT project manager, Schorsch Village: Voted for Trump
First-time Trump voter Stephen Kaim is “cautiously optimistic” about the Republican’s second time in office.
Kaim wants to see the new administration address undocumented immigrants who cross the southern border and commit crimes in the U.S., but he doesn’t support Trump’s mass deportation plan.
“I feel that the second time around, maybe he’ll do a better job,” Kaim said. “I’m not going to agree with everything he does, but I’m going to support him, just like I support every president, and we’ll see where it goes.”
Michelle Singleton, 57, retired medical educator, Bucktown: Voted against Trump
Michelle Singleton called the country’s state of reproductive health care “appalling,” and she’s afraid to see what else Trump could do to cut reproductive health rights and health care overall.
On a personal level, Singleton wants to retire this year, but she instead has put that plan on indefinite hold to wait and see how the new administration will handle the Affordable Care Act.
“I am concerned for myself, I am concerned for my family,” she said, referring to her sister who is gay. “I am concerned for the country as a whole.”
Larry Craig, 75, retired higher education administrator, Wilmette: Voted for Trump
Controlling the southern border and cutting government spending are the top priorities Larry Craig would like to see Trump address as soon as possible.
He acknowledged “a lot of good people” immigrate to the U.S., but he hopes for a more secure process that apprehends those who enter the country with criminal intentions.
“You have doors in your house, you have locks on your doors, you have fences around your yard. Countries, you don’t let just anybody walk in,” Craig said. “You don’t think our enemies will not send somebody into this open border like that?”
Liz Reyes, 58, social worker and librarian, Riverside: Voted against Trump
Trump’s threat to make Chicago “ground zero” for his immediate mass deportation plan terrifies Liz Reyes the most.
She’s concerned that it could lead to the government and employers exploiting people and using scare tactics.
“I just think about folks who are maybe working, and I just think it’s easy for unscrupulous employers to take advantage of people, and use calling somebody to come deport you as like this new weapon that’s going to be used against people that are probably already, you know, struggling and vulnerable, and doing their best to get by.”
Robert Starinsky, 67, semi-retired consultant, South Elgin: Voted for Trump
Robert Starinsky voted for Trump not because he likes him, but because he thinks he’s more focused on “wanting to get things done.”
The issues that hit home the most for him are taxes and retirement.
“I feel for my children and what they’re going to have to go through in terms of saving for retirement,” Starinsky said. “I think anything we can do to provide tax advantages for retirement savings above and beyond where we’re at today makes a lot of sense.”
Kristine Linquist, 67, retired, Worth: Voted against Trump
Kristine Linquist in recent years has switched to native gardening, bought an electric vehicle and installed solar panels on her home.
She’s worried a Trump administration could removed incentives for people doing the same, while slashing environmental regulations meant to address climate change.
Linquist also doesn’t like the idea of cutting taxes for corporations and billionaires.
“If there’s any money to be saved or if we can be more efficient, that’s great, but if it’s just that the poor people have to be efficient and the rich people get a tax break, then I’m not really into that.”
Clark Eichman, 53, police sergeant, Norwood Park: Voted for Trump
Clark Eichman voted for Trump because he’s not a career politician.
He wants Trump to focus on America first, rather than foreign relations. He also hopes Trump can forge a better relationship with Illinois, and make a positive impact that leads voters in the state to turn Republican by the next election.
“Four years of Trump with some success, maybe we finally break the Democrat stranglehold on Illinois, because if it doesn’t, then I’m going to leave — and I’m not the only one.”
Kevin McGrath, 36, statistician, Andersonville: Voted against Trump
Kevin McGrath fears for those potentially affected by Trump’s threat of immediate mass deportation, especially people in Chicago.
He’s also worried about Trump reclassifying some federal employees to give the executive branch more discretion in hiring and firing workers, leading to “totalitarian impulses.”
“The longer that continues, the less legitimate our government is,” McGrath said. “It loses the very basic foundation of the social contract. Trump might not do it, but I think that if we continue down the path that Trump seems to be walking, there isn’t going to be much of a civic fabric left for this country.”