WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Jaclyn Taylor and Lawrence Malinconico live on opposite sides of the Trump canyon that defines and divides American politics.

“The amount of progress he has made over the first six months is unmatched,” said Taylor, a businesswoman in Iowa. She grades the first six months of President Donald Trump’s new term a nine out of 10.

Zero was the grade offered by Malinconico, a college professor in Pennsylvania.

“His slashing of government and putting incompetent people in charge is going to harm every aspect of American life,” is Malinconico’s take at six months.

Their polar opposite assessments highlight one big takeaway of a check-in with voters participating in CNN’s “All Over the Map” project: The black or white views of Trump that animated the 2024 campaign now carry over to how most voters view his presidency.

Those who voted for Trump remain overwhelmingly loyal, enthusiastically backing his agenda. “Better,” is how New Hampshire Trump voter Deven McIver described his standard of living since Trump returned to the White House. “Lower fuel costs. Less job competition from illegals and I feel safer.”

But those who opposed Trump in the campaign are just as fiercely opposed to his governing now. “Disappointed doesn’t come close to what I am feeling,” said Pat Levin, a lifelong Democrat who lives in Pennsylvania. “Terrified, petrified, horrified come close to describing how I feel about the unraveling of our country and the rule of law.”

Nothing in the responses suggested any give in the polarization of the Trump era. Views on Trump’s immigration agenda offer a telling snapshot of that.

“He has turned ICE and CBP into the American gestapo,” said Tonya Rincon, a Michigan Democrat, who criticized ICE tactics as overly aggressive “with no due process.” Rincon said using tax dollars to send migrants “to other countries is an abomination reminiscent of the Third Reich.”

On the other side, “He did what he promised,” Taylor said. “Trump is making progress and standing up for the rights of those who honor our country and our process.”

These voters helped us track the 2024 campaign. Now, we keep in touch for their assessments of the Trump presidency and other big issues as we inch closer to the 2026 midterm elections.

Other noteworthy points:

Most of the voters, regardless of their choice last November, said the cost of living remains frustratingly high.

Many of the Democrats voiced support for Trump’s recent decision to do more to help Ukraine get weapons for the war with Russia, though many of them questioned his motives for this shift. Several Trump voters, on the other hand, oppose helping Ukraine.

“Hopefully he realizes the stakes of letting his former friend (Russian President Vladimir) Putin taking over more of Ukraine,” said Darrell Ann Murphy, a Democrat from Pennsylvania.

“He reluctantly came to the conclusion he was getting played by Putin,” said Marvin Boyer, also a Pennsylvania Democrat.

? Trump’s handling of the saga over accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was criticized, even ridiculed, by both Trump voters and Democrats who despise him. None of the Trump voters went as far as saying this issue might make them rethink supporting Trump, but many of them were harsh as they voiced suspicion that Trump is hiding something.

“I want to see the truth,” said McIver, a blue-collar Trump voter in New Hampshire. “I don’t believe the administration’s claims.”

Pete Burdett, also a New Hampshire Republican, offered high praise of the Trump agenda overall but said he was flummoxed by the change of Trump’s tone on Epstein. “NOT SURE at this point.” Burdett wrote in an email. “What changed?”

Rachal Kulak, a Christian conservative Trump supporter in Virginia, said the “Epstein files debacle” was a black mark on an administration she believes is otherwise much more transparent than the Biden administration. “It may be better to just rip the Band-Aid off and let people see.”

Kulak said “it may have taken a minute,” but she voiced confidence Trump would ultimately move forward “with giving the people what they want to see.”

Other respondents brought up a conspiracy theory that Trump’s refusal to make all Epstein files public is somehow tied to Israel, a notion that has gained footing among Trump supporters.

The conspiracy theory is unfounded and has been dismissed as without merit by current and former Israeli government officials.

Those who raised the idea in our check-in were troubled by it, but said they still supported the president.

Voters who opposed Trump, meanwhile, expressed other concerns about the Epstein saga.

Joan London is a Pennsylvania attorney and longtime Reagan Republican who switched her registration to independent because of her misgivings about Trump.

“The ‘nothing to see here’ tone after getting elected by fueling speculation among supporters is suspicious,” London said of the Epstein saga. “If there is nothing to fear, then the books need to be opened.”

Democrats see the Epstein dustup as Trump finally getting some accountability for his love of conspiracy theories. For years, Trump and his allies suggested Democrats were hiding the Epstein files to protect themselves. Now, Trump calls his own supporters “weaklings” for demanding the transparency Trump himself repeatedly said was critical.

“Watching him scrambling between explanations is comical,” said Rincon, the Michigan Democrat who is a recently retired union auto worker.

“Fumble,” was the one-word assessment of Walter Robinson, a Michigan Democrat and auto worker.

“Outrageous but predictable” is how Levin, the Pennsylvania Democrat, described Trump’s efforts to manage the Epstein blowback. “Deny, shift responsibility, claim a Democratic conspiracy.”

The voter assessments on the cost of living are worth tracking as we move into the 2026 midterm cycle. Reducing costs was a major Trump and Republican 2024 promise, and Democrats are already arguing the president’s unpredictable back-and-forth on tariffs and other policies are hurting consumers.

“Costs are increasing, especially rent,” said Jacob Dials, an Arizona Democrat.

“Currently about the same, perhaps slightly better,” said Kulak, the Virginia Republican.

“The same,” said Democrat Robinson.

“Same, but getting better,” said Taylor, the Iowa Republican.

“Inflation still persists,” said Cynthia Sabatini, a suburban Philadelphia Republican who supports many Trump policies but sees him as lacking character and humility. “Across the board tariffs are not a good approach.”

Kim Cavaliere, an independent who lives in Georgia, said her standard of living was down since Trump took office.

“Everything he has done so far is for the wealthy,” she said. “Housing is still way out of reach.”

Cavaliere did offer a dose of humor to close her answers to our questions about Trump at the six-month mark.

“Well, I wish I could predict my lottery numbers the way I predicted Elon Musk and Trump would sever their relationship within a year of him being president,” Cavaliere said. “LOL.”

The-CNN-Wire
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