Long lines at the food pantry: Inflation tests Trump's base in Michigan [View all]

Source: Reuters

December 21, 2025 5:04 AM EST Updated 3 hours ago


CAPAC, Michigan, Dec 21 (Reuters) - On a recent snowy morning in a Trump-loving part of rural Michigan, three dozen cars idled outside a firehouse-turned-food pantry. Inside, volunteers packaged lettuce, apples and other household staples that have surged or stayed high in price this year.

Taylor Ludwig, a 35-year-old mother of three, had lined up in her pickup truck well before the pantry's 10 a.m. opening in the town of Capac, seeking the kind of help she hoped would not be necessary when she voted last year for President Donald Trump, who campaigned on lowering prices.

Ludwig said she had expected Trump to have made greater progress on inflation nearly a year into his presidency. But, the cost of basics such as cereal, fruit and vegetables remains painfully high.

While Ludwig blames the high cost of living on Democratic former President Joe Biden, the Republican-leaning independent said the party could lose her vote in next November's congressional elections if Trump does not move faster to fulfill his 2024 campaign promise. "I'm not just gonna follow along somebody like a sheep," she said of her current backing of Trump. "I will follow you until I know it's not OK to."

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/long-lines-food-pantry-inflation-tests-trumps-base-michigan-2025-12-21/