The two big drags on the president’s popularity are the cost of living and the Iran War, with one bleeding into the other. The conflict has caused gas prices in the US to spike to above $4 a gallon, a painful hike to any US business that relies on transport.
But in Kingsport, support for the president approaches an almost-religious fervor. The city voted overwhelmingly for Trump in all three of his elections. So did wider Tennessee, a Republican state for more than 25 years.
When it comes to the Iran conflict, most residents either outright support the military action or rationalise the war’s necessity – despite Trump’s repeated campaign promise of “no more wars”.
“If he can stop anyone from having a nuclear bomb, then I’m for it,” says Pam Robinson, 65, who spent 20 years working at the local chemical plant.
David Carter, a bearded veteran who plays Santa Claus at Christmastime, says “the whole reason we go over there, and we keep everything under control there, is [so that] we don’t have it on our doorstep.”
Others are more blunt.
“Honestly, I think we should turn them into a parking lot and don’t worry about it anymore,” says veteran James Camper, 63, wearing a Trump lanyard around his neck as he exits a discount grocery.
Veterans account for around 10% of the region’s population, and many other households have active duty family members.
Robinson, a staunch Christian and independent voter who says her faith informs her candidate choices, believes the remote nature of the war may be preventing local people from being more upset with Trump.
“Let me say this: If it was hand-to-hand and more people were getting killed, people would be banging the doors down,” she says.
