Bethlehem, Pa.
—
Jenique Jones is “super busy” nowadays.
Because of what she does — and the place she lives — that’s perilous information for President Donald Trump and Republican management of Washington.
“My business assists people in repairing their credit,” Jones mentioned in an interview on the Bethlehem workplace of Lehigh Valley Credit Restoration. “Managing their finances and basically being financially organized.”
She has been tremendous busy, Jones instructed us, as a result of “times are tough.”
“Everything is going up except the wages here. This is the Lehigh Valley, or the hub between Philadelphia and New York, and they are raising prices and the locals really can’t afford to keep up.”
Bethlehem is synonymous with blue-collar America, and since of the realm’s voting historical past it’s a laboratory for testing the nationwide temper. Right now, lots of persons are residing paycheck to paycheck; increasingly more are asking to meet with Jones as a result of of an affordability disaster.
They inform her a variety of tales. “My husband lost all of his overtime,” is one Jones typically hears. Or additionally: “My kids’ daycare went up. Can’t afford the cost of food. Using credit cards for everyday expenses. No money left after the bills are paid.”
“Pretty much just a whole bunch of financial mess,” she says.
Jones is a three-time Trump voter. She nonetheless believes he’s extra certified than Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent in the final election.
But now, she is blunt in saying he has merely failed to hold his 2024 marketing campaign pledge to make life extra reasonably priced.
“I’m very let down by that. Very, very let down because it’s — I feel like it’s only gotten worse,” she mentioned.
The numbers again Jones up. The unemployment charge in the Lehigh Valley is up since Trump returned to the White House. Pennsylvania grocery prices are up 8.2% in the previous yr, properly above the nationwide common of 5%. And lease for a one-bedroom condominium in Bethlehem averages $1,900 a month, up simply shy of 6% from a yr in the past.
“People are just struggling to pay basic needs,” Jones mentioned. “People can’t afford everyday life. The average grocery shopping, even for myself, let’s say $150 a week is now $250 a week.”
Anger over affordability pressures helped Trump win Pennsylvania and all of the swing states in November 2024. This November, it was once more the driving situation as Democrats made massive features — and by massive margins in off-cycle elections resembling in the Virginia and New Jersey governors’ races and the New York mayoral race.
Bethlehem might be central to testing whether or not the identical dynamics play out in the 2026 midterms, when Democrats are trying to seize the House majority and create a roadblock to the Trump agenda.
It sits in Pennsylvania’s bellwether Northampton County, a spot identified for selecting political winners and a county we visited a number of instances throughout our 2024 travels for our All Over the Map project, trying on the election by way of the eyes and experiences of voters.
The winner in Northampton has received statewide and nationally in the previous 5 presidential elections — and in 29 of 32 relationship again to 1900. Plus, Trump’s 2024 win helped flip Pennsylvania’s seventh Congressional District from blue to pink, however by simply 4,000 votes. It is a prime 2026 Democratic goal.
Ronald Corales knew properly earlier than Election Day 2024 that Trump was working robust in the Lehigh Valley, and stronger in the Latino group than in 2016 or 2020.
Corales owns three Gentlemen’s Barber places in the realm, and politics is a continuing matter of dialog. These days, purchasers grumble quite a bit about costs, and a few of them say Trump has failed to make life extra reasonably priced, he mentioned.
Corales can also be a three-time Trump voter. He was named after Ronald Reagan, as a result of his Peruvian immigrant dad and mom have been so proud to come to the United States and Reagan was president on the time.
Corales believes Trump deserves extra time — that 10 months isn’t sufficient to repair the large affordability challenges — however he agrees that, proper now, issues will not be higher.
“I think we still got to give it some time,” he mentioned. “The country really shifted in the past couple of years. So his, his policies hopefully (will) take effect soon… it hasn’t happened yet.”
Ashley Ruiz, one of the barbers who works for Corales, says purchasers grumble about prices extra now than they did throughout the presidential marketing campaign.
She tries to assist. “I’ll tell the client, ‘Hey, if you get it cut a little shorter, the haircut will have a longer lifeline.’ Because I want them to feel like they’re getting a service that will last longer so their money goes further.”
Ruiz understands the affordability stress; she does the robust math at residence and lists lease, meals and little one care as her household’s largest finances challenges. “They are a lot higher,” Ruiz mentioned. “So I try to make wiser decisions in hope that things will get better.”
She was one of a handful of barbers on the Bethlehem store who joined us for a couple of minutes of dialog — all Latino, with a combination of political allegiances, however a unanimous evaluation that prices are greater now than a yr in the past. Health insurance coverage and grocery costs have been talked about most.
The political influence is obvious in the president’s moribund approval rating. Still, our go to was beautiful. No one mentioned prices have been down. Some mentioned they have been about the identical. But most — together with a number of loyal Trump voters — mentioned that the pressures they face in November 2025 are worse than a yr in the past.
Tariffs and grocery costs would have been the highest grievance in the event you stopped in Cutters Bike Shop a couple of weeks in the past, however now well being care has been added to the combination.
John and Lisa Ronca personal the store, and have a teenage daughter who rides competitively. They get their medical health insurance by way of the Affordable Care Act change, and their renewal letter simply got here.
“It’s tripling,” Lisa Ronca mentioned, repeating herself as if in disbelief. “It’s going to be triple, triple, triple this year, which equates to double the cost we pay for our mortgage, for our house. So we can’t keep that plan, to say the least.”
Extending enhanced ACA premium subsidies was the key aim for Democrats throughout the latest authorities shutdown. They failed to win concessions from Republicans, although Trump and a few GOP leaders promise to work on Obamacare alternatives.
Lisa Ronca rolls her eyes at that, remembering Trump promised the identical in his first time period and did nothing. “There’s been years,” she mentioned. “ I mean how many years?”
The Roncas will not be Trump followers and didn’t vote for him.
The household eat in to get monetary savings, solely indulging as soon as every week at a favourite native Mexican restaurant. Lisa was at the grocery retailer a pair of hours earlier than we stopped by the bike store. “A couple of things I, like, have to do a double take. Like, wow.”
Pennsylvania has among the many highest charge of inflation for meals prices among the many 50 states.
Trump has repeatedly mentioned prices are down, and that it’s his critics who’re mendacity about costs being excessive. But “he doesn’t go grocery shopping,” Lisa Ronca mentioned. “It’s hard. It’s definitely significantly more.”
The Roncas’ general 2025 expertise has been greater prices and decrease revenue margins.
The bike store and its stock — bikes and elements — carry labels from China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia. For them, Trump’s tariffs are like driving a rollercoaster blindfolded.
“Over this current year, it has been constant increases,” John Ronca mentioned. “Every two to three months. We get letters from the companies, ‘We’re having a 10% increase.’ (Then) another 10% increase. And it just keeps escalating.”
A sequence that was $35 a couple of months in the past is now $50. A shock bump for a mountain bike up from $75 to $120.
Christmas season is approaching; early gross sales are behind final yr. Lisa Ronca is anxious persons are spending much less, anxious to fill the bike store flooring with a standard vacation season hit. They have eradicated part-time assist on the store.
“I don’t know how many kids’ bikes to bring in for Christmas,” she mentioned. “A 20-inch single-speed kids’ bike was $250, which is still decently high. Up to $400 in just the last couple of months. So it’s kind of tough.”
Though they often vote for Democratic candidates, the Roncas did assist reasonable Republican Charlie Dent when he represented their congressional district a couple of years again.
Lisa Ronca mentioned Dent was useful when some new native bike trails have been in the works.
“I have no problem voting for either side if the person is good for the area,” John Ronca mentioned.
But their affordability stress — particularly from rises in their well being=care prices — shapes their early ideas about subsequent November.
“I’m going to vote for a person who puts a check on him,” John Ronca mentioned as Lisa nodded in settlement. “You know what I mean? Who’s going to rein the president in.”