Trump promises safety to Middle America

I have spent the past week travelling across ‘swing country’. Namely Pennsylvania and Ohio – two of the crucial states which will decide the coming US election. The former is important for the presidential race, the latter for control of the Senate. I spent time following a pollster, joining interviews and focus groups.

The first stop was an affluent Pennsylvania suburb near Allentown. In 2020, the county (Lehigh) broke for the Democrats in a closely contested race – the party won just 53 per cent – and it is often seen as a bellwether for the national mood. In the suburb I met Rebecca and her family. Their sprawling bungalow-style home is a pitch-perfect slice of upper-middle-class America, a Norman Rockwell painting brought to life. But despite the polished floors and the wholesome golden retriever, all is not well in this patch of America.

Rebecca’s family, like so many others, is deeply divided over the election.