One of our favorite reporters is Salena Zito who rose to national prominence during the 2016 election (we were already a fan) as one of the few people in the MSM to get what was going on with Trump voters.
Salena was at the president’s rally yesterday in Youngstown, OH and offered up this take that you won’t find if you just rely on the MSM for your news: “a hero’s welcome.”
"This town was on fire."
YOUNGSTOWN Ohio
Why the Rust Belt just gave Donald Trump a hero's welcome https://t.co/KW4ltX2Law #RallyInTheValley— SalenaZito (@SalenaZito) July 26, 2017
Here’s an excerpt of what she heard directly from the Trump supporters in attendance:
Torrance, who is black, says he gets his fair share of criticism from folks when they find out whom he supports. He got more when he told them he was driving to see him in person at the rally.
“They don’t understand why I think he is doing OK,” he said. “They don’t think because I am black that I should support him. I am polite about it, but I tell them that politics isn’t about color, it is about accomplishments, and I think Trump is doing the right things.”
Torrance finds Trump’s approach to governing “refreshing.”
He is disappointed in people’s reaction to Trump’s presidency.
“I don’t care for the hatred directed towards him or the people who supported him. There have been plenty of presidents I did not vote for, but I always want them to be successful so that our country is successful,” he said.
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She really gets it:
https://twitter.com/stephenkinsella/status/890177411257597952
And it’s an important piece especially since the MSM is wondering what would happen to the Trump base if he fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions:
This, in the heat of the Sessions firestorm. If ya think most Trump *voters* backed him because of Sessions, think again… https://t.co/RND9uzg9kg
— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) July 26, 2017
And on Russia:
People that I interviewed did not think that the recitation investigation was fake news. They were able to separate https://t.co/aGtWZ0TJhM
— SalenaZito (@SalenaZito) July 26, 2017
Ironically, Salena came under fire last week from Trump supporter Bill Mitchell who took issue with her reporting on Trump’s tweeting:
Even the most devout Trump supporters I have interviewed in the past few months strongly, strongly dislike his tweets.
— SalenaZito (@SalenaZito) July 22, 2017
Really? You don't get stronger than me and my followers and you haven't talked to any of us you hack. https://t.co/3CaljEKYGm
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) July 22, 2017
Maybe this is the problem? #FakeNews CNN Contributors don't know any strong Trump supporters… https://t.co/3CaljEKYGm
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) July 22, 2017
Has he not read anything she’s written because this is crazy-talk:
In fact, @SalenaZito is the only reporter out there who is actively gone and actually talk to Trump people. She's the opposite of #fakenews.
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) July 22, 2017
If you are attacking @SalenaZito simply because you disagree with one of her observations, you're fighting #fakenews wrong. #caring
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) July 22, 2017
Exactly. Here she is pushing back against a fake-news narrative trying to diminish how well Trump actually did in the Youngstown area in 2016:
https://twitter.com/AaronBlake/status/890028932757585920
Obama won Mahoning county by 30 percentage points over McCain in 2000
28 percent in 2012 over Romney
Clinton won by 2.8% in 2016. https://t.co/FXA8K3dYZG— SalenaZito (@SalenaZito) July 26, 2017
Weird that the Washington Post reporter left out a nearly 30-point swing in his snarky tweet, right?
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