Since its first race in 2016, Trump has maintained a nearly immovable base of support in the state despite accusations that conspired to reverse his 2020 defeatan unprecedented conviction on 34 felony counts and several other allegations. However, although Trump once said that values ​​loyalty above “everything””, it is not blind loyalty that keeps many of his followers in his column.

In interviews, a dozen people who told Suffolk University pollsters they would vote Once again, Trump says they fondly remember the state of the country when he was in office and want to take it back. Now they are suffering economically and their personal crisis coincides with President Biden’s term. Or they have more global concerns, whether about the economy or immigration, and believe – as they did eight years ago and again four years ago – that Trump is best suited to address both. Some say they simply can’t stand the alternatives on the ballot.

That’s why they plan to fill the bubble for Trump, almost all of them for the third consecutive election.

“And every time,” said Brian Jankins, 55, of Sutton, “I say, ‘I’ll never do that again.’ “

Even in Massachusetts, a state the former president never won, his support has barely wavered. He won roughly one in three votes in 2016 and 2020, and appears poised to do so again, building on a foundation that a Recent survey by Suffolk University and the Boston Globe The shows are predominantly white, mostly 50 or older, and male.

Generally, they say they are unfazed by the criminal cases against Trump, or are willing to ignore them. Attracted to him in 2016 because he was not a career politician, many say they believe in him two presidential campaigns later.

“I’m stronger now than ever with him,” said Arthur Paquette, a 76-year-old car salesman from Leicester. Paquette, an independent voter who identifies as conservative, said he plans to vote for Trump a third time because he considers his tenure a success.

“There were no wars during his administration, stable economy, good stock market. . . . When you were there, how was the country doing? Was it better than now? Paqueta said. “I would say yes.”

Some are even returning to Trump. Billie Cleghorn, a 48-year-old botanist from Haverhill, said she voted for Trump in 2016 and then Biden in 2020, and said she got “caught up in the political climate.” Trump, he said, seemed like a “bad choice” and he had nothing against Biden, who emerged from a crowded Democratic field.

His vision has changed dramatically. Cleghorn, an Army veteran, said he disagrees with the way Biden has handled foreign wars (“We are ready to fight the whole world,” he said) or the economy. He said he has personally felt the pressure of rising interest rates, which have prevented him from buying a home.

“I’m not a Trumper,” Cleghorn said. But he said he can’t continue supporting the Democratic Party either. “My life has become much more difficult since Biden took office.”

He is not alone. Roberta Winston, 72, said she retired from her career as a kitchen and bathroom designer only to feel the need two years ago to get a part-time job at a local retail store. It’s not about spending extra money, he said.

“My utility bills have skyrocketed. The food is skyrocketing. The rent has gone up. “It’s extremely difficult to live,” the Harwich resident said.

He said he voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020, and plans to do so again, without his confidence being shaken by the accusations against him, his criminal conviction for falsification of business records (a first for a former president) and others legal problems that has consumed Trump since he left office.

“Some people just hate it. That’s how they are. They don’t like him and they never will,” said Jessie Kibbe, a 48-year-old independent voter from Palmer who is voting for Trump for the third time.

“People sometimes don’t like candor,” he said. “They want people to chatter around them and pretend, ‘Oh, it’s okay.’ And no, it is not. Something has to be said and someone is saying it.”

However, it is Trump’s rhetoric that makes some of his supporters hesitate, at least to some extent. In recent weeks, Trump has called Democrats “theenemy from within”, and suggested the possibility of military action against them. Trump’s former chief of staff, John Kelly, said in recent interviews with The New York Times and The Atlantic that Trump suggested that Adolf Hitler “did some good things” and that as president, Trump said that needed similar “German generals” at his side.

“What he’s saying lately is crazy,” said Greg Benefit, a 69-year-old retired nurse and independent voter from Plymouth. “The ‘enemy within’ kind of thing. That’s crazy. What are we talking about here? . . . It seems like he’s getting paranoid.

“But,” Benefit continued, “when you get down to it, he’s not afraid to say what he says. “That’s the only reason I vote for him.”

Jim Pero, a Republican from Salisbury, said he personally doesn’t care about Trump. “He’s brash, arrogant, narcissistic and communicates poorly,” said the 67-year-old business analyst.

Jankins, the Sutton resident, also pointed out the reason he doesn’t like Trump. “There is too much instability in his administration; I think it’s due to his ego. He surrounds himself with people who do,” he said.

But both said they will vote for Trump despite those reservations. But he said what matters most to him is the Republican platform, not the person. For Jankins, who said he works in banking, the important thing is the economy; believes Trump better understands how to help grow “what separates us and what keeps us as a superpower.”

“Believe me,” he added about backing Trump again. “It’s not easy.”

In fact, some say simply being a Trump supporter is difficult, even dangerous, in a state that hasn’t backed a Republican for president in four decades.

John, 61 years old A Methuen small business owner, he said Trump spoke to the working class in his 2016 victory and pretty much delivered, even with tax cuts.

Saying that publicly, he said, can have consequences. John declined to give his last name or identify what type of work he does for fear that customers would “cancel” his business. He also chose not to place A Trump campaign poster.

“People like me are afraid to put it in the front yard for fear of retaliation,” he said. “It’s too dangerous.”

Others are not so embarrassed. Danny Gallant, a 56-year-old landscaper from Leicester, said that as an independent voter, he doesn’t necessarily identify with Republicans, but he wishes there were a third party: “MAGA.”

“Trump doesn’t care. It will cut through dead wood. “This is how the country succeeds,” Gallant said. “A country is only as good as its worst residents. And he wants to get rid of the bad residents.

“I want King Trump,” he said, “if you ask me.”

You can contact Matt Stout at [email protected]. follow him @mattpstout.