Some of you may be aware that I’ve been on the hunt for a Trump supporter to interview for a story idea that would feature both a local Biden and Trump supporter. The story was going to investigate how deep the political division runs in our local community, and more importantly, if perhaps each side has more in common with each other than we’re led to believe. I had already interviewed a Biden supporter, but could not find a Trump supporter who would be willing to go on record.
So when I saw a man in a suit jumping up and down near Eight Mile and Beechmont waving a Trump sign, I thought, well here is a Trump supporter who is not afraid.
Meet Matthew Brown
Matthew Brown couldn’t stomach watching the news anymore. “You just get so frustrated and mad,” he said, referring to mainstream news political coverage. Fed up one day last week, he decided to go for a walk holding a Trump sign. “I didn’t see anyone else standing out here, so I figured I’d just see what happens.”
Matthew told me the sign got a lot of support from people in the area.
In just the few minutes that I stood out there with Matthew on the street, he received dozens of honks and waves from passersby.
“Go Trump,” yelled an older woman.
“The older ladies gotta be my favorite,” said Matthew.
“Hold that sign with pride,” a man yelled from a passing car.
“Yes sir!”
“Drop dead!” said another.
Matthew just kept waving. “I’m a little hard of hearing,” Matthew told me. “Sometimes I can’t tell if they are yelling go Trump or go to hell.”
One man motioned for Matthew to come closer to his stopped car. He had a dog in the backseat and wanted to show Matthew the Trump collar around its neck. Matthew patted the dog gently on his head. “You like my sign?” Matthew asked.
“He loves it,” the driver replied. “We got one like it in the front yard. We love Trump. We frickin’ love Trump,” he exclaimed before the light turned green and he rolled away.
Although Matthew graduated from Turpin, he lived in New Jersey for a period of time. You can hear the Jersey accent in his voice.
Why Trump?
Matthew may be a Trump supporter today, but he told me he voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012. He said he switched over to Trump because Trump exposes a lot of the hypocrisy and corruption in Washington. “These streets should be paved in gold,” Matthew said, then blamed wasteful spending and theft within the government for an ailing economy.
“And the wars… some of them were just so unnecessary and Trump wants to bring the troops home, he doesn’t want to fight.”
“Have you ever been in the Justice Center? Just poor people and uneducated people. Trump wants to reform criminal justice and give people an opportunity. Pretty much everything they say he is, he’s not.”
“I’m out here because God loves you, Trump loves you, and I love you,” Matthew said. “It’s all about love. We just have to love each other. We’re all Americans. We’re better off together. If you fall down alone it’s hard to get up. If you and me fall down WE get up together.”
When a passerby gets really mad, Matthew said he’ll throw his Trump sign down and extend his arms out like he’s offering a hug. “I’m not here to create division.”
“So you’re willing to drop the Trump sign if it will unite people?” I asked.
“In a heartbeat.”
I’m glad I met Matthew. He certainly isn’t shy and has no fear supporting his candidate. And it’s interesting to see how one person can bring so much energy to an otherwise boring flow of traffic.
I had to make a judgement call and ultimately decided not to ask Matthew to participate in the other article. His fiery and eccentric nature would not balance well with the Biden supporter that I already interviewed. It wouldn’t have been fair to either of them in the end.
So my search for a Trump supporter continues. Will Matthew’s brazen support for Trump show others they don’t have to hide? As usual, I’ll keep you posted.
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Did you miss my last article, The Other Morning Crew at McDonalds? Check it out, here.
