Kentucky has long been reliable Trump country, delivering him overwhelming margins in three consecutive presidential elections. But a new Thanksgiving Day report from The Nation reveals growing frustration among some of his most loyal voters — especially in impoverished Martin County, where Trump won 91% of the vote in 2024.
Reporter Zachary Clifton highlights how many struggling residents now feel abandoned by the president’s economic policies, particularly as the longest government shutdown in U.S. history disrupted SNAP (food stamp) benefits — a lifeline for roughly 1,300 households in Martin County, or 23% of local residents.
Clifton connects the moment to history, recalling President Lyndon Johnson’s 1964 War on Poverty visit to Martin County, which helped lay the groundwork for federal programs like SNAP, Medicaid, Medicare, and Head Start.
Residents fear losing food aid under Trump’s new law
Trump’s 2025 “One Big, Beautiful Bill” dramatically expands work requirements for food assistance. According to The Nation:
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114,000 Kentuckians could lose SNAP benefits
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Work requirements will now apply to people ages 54–65, caregivers with children over 14, military veterans, and even people experiencing homelessness
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Kentucky is particularly vulnerable because it suffers from the second-highest rate of food insecurity among adults over 50
Jason Bailey of the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy called the tightening of SNAP access “particularly problematic” for a state already struggling to feed its older residents.
Even Trump loyalists feel betrayed
Among those speaking out is Thomas Howell, a 25-year-old fast-food worker in Martin County who voted for Trump twice. With no car and limited job options, he earns about $170 a week and receives $110 a month in SNAP benefits — often the only food he has.
Now he says he’s losing faith.
“It sucks… I’m truly disappointed in the minimal effort Trump’s been giving us poor people,” Howell said.
“Most of this country voted for Trump on empty promises, hoping he’d give us a better future. But instead, it seems it’s going the exact opposite direction. I pray to God I’m wrong.”
He also told The Nation that Trump seemed unwilling to cooperate on SNAP funding and instead shifted blame to Democrats.
A warning sign in deep-red America
Kentucky remains overwhelmingly conservative, but stories like Howell’s suggest cracks in Trump’s once-unyielding rural base — especially in communities hit hardest by poverty and reliant on federal safety-net programs.
As economic pressures intensify and new work requirements begin in early 2026, more longtime supporters may begin to question whether the promises they voted for are being fulfilled.
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