While Thanksgiving for many has been a bit of a struggle due to the turkey rush, for some Trump voters, it was a daily part of their life-and-death situation, especially for those relying on food stamps. In one of Kentucky’s poorest regions, Martin County, frustration with former President Donald Trump is rising as food stamp cuts leave some of his most loyal voters struggling to eat.
Thomas Howell, a 25-year-old fast-food line worker who voted for Trump in 2020 and 2024, says the recent government shutdown and resulting SNAP disruptions pushed him to the brink. Howell allegedly earns about $170 a week and used to receive $110 a month in food stamps, money he relies on entirely for groceries. When Kentucky issued only partial SNAP benefits in November, Howell suddenly found himself without enough food to get through the month.
With no car, limited job options, and a county with no major grocery stores, Howell turned to a discount shop that sells near-expired items for a quarter each. Hence, his meals consisted of candy bars and beef jerky rejected by grocers for days. “I don’t like going to food banks unless I’m truly about to starve,” he said. “Other people need that food to survive,” transcript courtesy of The Nation. Sadly, Howell’s most outspoken fellow Trump voters don’t seem to sympathize with his situation:
Martin County, where roughly 23 percent of households rely on SNAP, was hit especially hard. Trump’s new “One Big, Beautiful Bill” is expected to tighten work requirements and jeopardize benefits for roughly 114,000 Kentuckians by 2026, including older adults, caregivers, veterans, and people experiencing homelessness.
Which came first? The hunger or the disillusion?
For Howell, the shift felt like betrayal. “I’m truly disappointed in the minimal effort Trump’s been giving us poor people,” he said. “Most of this country voted for him on empty promises… but it seems things are going the opposite direction.” The Kentucky man has since voiced out his disillusionment, “A lot of people here see ‘Democrat’ as a bad word but it’s all about the specific person. No one cares to talk to us. They just like to point the finger at the downtrodden hillbillies.”
Despite his current situation, many people online have pointed out how Howell still believes both parties are at fault, though the poor people are the ones to take the brunt of the suffering. “I don’t even understand how he can see one party willing to let him starve and thinking both are at fault,” claimed a Reddit user.
Some, while outraged at the Kentucky man’s take, seem to have understood his situation and how certain politicians see him as pieces to manipulate, “And people like this Thomas is what the wannabe King wants. Uneducated, indoctrinated and no time to think on anything that’s not survival. Top it off with an ‘enemy’ to focus all that anger so he ignores who is actually oppressing them.”
