Trump in trouble as 'Ohio is in play for the first time in a decade': CNN

While Ohio was long considered a purple swing state, over the course of President Donald Trump’s political career, he has managed to push it deep into red. But now, as his war on Iran and other failed policies inflict pain on rural voters, CNN reporter John King says that Trump appears to be pushing the state back in the other direction. King recently took a trip through Ohio to search for the answer to an important question: “Is Donald Trump’s MAGA coalition cracking?”

Part of Trump’s success in Ohio came from his promises to bring back jobs. “But as we head into the midterms,” notes King, “the jobs he promised are not here. The revival in American manufacturing he promised is not here.”

Quite the opposite. A General Motors factory that Trump had promised to save in his first term closed in 2019, then was replaced by a Foxconn plant that has largely stood idle. Nearby, another factory built to manufacture EV batteries has shut down, laying off 1,460 workers. Many of them voted for Trump, and their union at one point even endorsed his tariff program.

“They were hopeful that they were going to bring more jobs back to the United States,” said their union representative. King asked if that had happened, and the rep sighed. “Not that I’m aware of.”

“Manufacturing employment is up a bit of late, but down 80,000 jobs overall since Trump returned to the White House,” noted King. “American auto manufacturing down 25,000 jobs in Trump's second term.”

King also spoke with a man who had served overseas in Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan and was drawn into the Tea Party then MAGA movements after leaving the army, who explained, “I let myself — I don't want to say get radicalized or anything — but I was very right wing.” After having a change of heart in 2020, he now calls himself an independent and says he’s voting Democrat this year because he now views Trump and MAGA as threats to democracy. “I've talked to a lot of people whose views are changing, even in my own family. So I am hopeful that that is starting to fracture.”

This sentiment was echoed by others King met who had previously supported Trump.

In one county where the president won 74 percent in the last election, King spoke with a veteran of the Iraq War who voted for Trump in 2016 and 2024, but who now says he’ll vote Democrat in 2026 to send Trump a message, saying, “You can't be flippant about war.” Having spoken with friends and veterans across the country, he believes “big change” is coming. “The shine's kind of coming off the Trump presidency. You really kind of see through the true core of who he is versus what he campaigned on.”

“They got conned by a con man,” said Chris Anderson, Democratic Chairman in Ohio’s Mahoning County. He is confident that enough Trump voters will flip to elect the state’s first Democratic governor in 15 years and switch a critical Senate seat from red to blue. “For eight years, there were Trump signs on every corner. There were flags. You couldn't go to a grocery store without seeing those red MAGA hats. I challenge you to find one.”

King accented, saying there is a notable lack of Trump regalia. His conclusion: “Ohio is in play for the first time in a decade. The president and his party are in trouble.”

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