It does not take long to find the United States fissures exposed by their President. Outside a supermarket, an elderly woman swears when I ask about him, shaking her head furiously as she pushes off her shopping trolley and saying: “Shall we talk about Germany in the 1930s because I think that’s where we are going?” Others talk sombrely about the dark shadow of fascism they feel is hanging over their nation under Donald Trump and the threat of their country breaking apart as its divisions grow deeper.
Yet standing beside a coffee shop in another small Virginian town, three people in a row express their unabashed admiration for the 47th President with a passion rarely heard in public life. “I love him,” says one man in his sixties. “I like him a lot,” says a medical therapist, placing him with Ronald Reagan and JFK among their greatest leaders. “He’s phenomenal,” says George Williams, a businessman. “He’s doing exactly what he said he was going to do – and that’s unheard of in politics.”
Farmville, Virginia, USA Taken by Ian Birrell for Virginia feature Provided by ianbirr@googlemail.com
Farmville, Prince Edward County, Virginia, population about 7,500, swung from Biden to Trump last year (Photo: Ian Birrell
Welcome to America under the second coming of Trump. It seems incredible that it is barely six weeks since the billionaire’s restoration to power given his blizzard of executive orders, unleashing of Elon Musk to savage federal government, cuddling up to the Kremlin and his assault on diplomatic conventions with tariffs and threats. Shockwaves from Washington rattle around the world, almost every day bringing fresh furores – a strategy his former aide Steve Bannon termed “muzzle velocity,” designed to overwhelm foes by flooding, dominating and confusing the news zone.
Trump 2.0 looks very different to his chaotic first term. He appears more confident but even less constrained in his desire for disruption. There are still the preening vanities, social media fusillades and stream of lies, but this time he seems more focused and backed by a team filled with loyalists to fulfil his orders and avoid the frustrations of his last administration. Much of it may be bluster or stymied by the courts – but as Williams told me, we are witnessing a revolutionary approach to government both at home and abroad. “The country needed someone to cleanse it a little bit,” said the 52-year-old manufacturing consultant.
Jenny and Pat Dimaano Virginia, USA Taken by Ian Birrell for Virginia feature Provided by ianbirr@googlemail.com
Jenny and Pat Dimaano are a couple with four children who run a shop selling guns and guitars (Photo: Ian Birrell)
This week Trump marks 50 days back in the White House. So I travelled to Virginia to talk with voters in three areas: a Washington suburb filled with federal staff and Democratic supporters; a town that is strongly Republican; and the only county to switch sides in last year’s presidential election when he closed the gap but could not win the state. Virginia holds an “off-year” gubernatorial vote in November seen as a crucial popularity test for the President; rivals hope it offers a springboard for their fightback in a state with one of the country’s biggest federal workforces.
‘I’m not voting for him to date my daughter, but to run our country’
The first people I met in Farmville – an historic town in Prince Edward County, which swung from Biden to Trump last year – were Pat and Jenny Dimaano, a couple with four children who run a shop selling guns and guitars. He is a former police officer from the Philippines who arrived in America 35 years ago as an undocumented migrant. She sees Trump as “a misogynist prick”. Yet they both voted for him. “I would not date him if he was the last man in the world but he is shaking things up, scaring people to toe the line, and I like that,” said Jenny. “He’s looking after people like us – small-business owners.”
Here is the genius of Trump that torments his foes: that populist ability to win over the most unlikely fans, despite concerns over his character, since they see him as someone standing on their side. “I’m not voting for him to date my daughter – I am voting for him to run our country and keep us safe,” said Mike McIntosh, 62, who works in the building sector. “He’s not a typical politician. He doesn’t need the job, he doesn’t need the money, he’s hiring a bunch of people that just want to serve the country. And he looks a lot more focused this time.” So would he want Trump to date his daughter, I asked. “No,” he replied with a laugh.
George Williams Virginia, USA Taken by Ian Birrell for Virginia feature Provided by ianbirr@googlemail.com
George Williams says Trump ‘is doing exactly what he said he was going to do – and that’s unheard of in politics’ (Photo: Ian Birrell)
Others were more glowing in their praise. “The things I’ve seen so far I’ve liked,” said Lee O’Neal, a car salesman. “I like the aggressiveness to protect the country. Protecting the border is one of the most important things. Securing the US as an economic stronghold and keeping businesses here is important, whether this is created through tariffs or conversations with other world leaders. And I don’t think men who have transitioned into transgender women need to participate in female activities or share their locker rooms. I don’t think that’s right.”
This issue of transgender participation in sport – focus of heavy campaign spending by the Republicans, followed by one of Trump’s 76 executive orders – clearly cut through to voters, judging from the number of times it was mentioned to me by his supporters. “Males playing in women’s sports – that’s wrong, don’t you think,” said Robert Stora, 66, a retired worker on nuclear submarines, before going on to tell me how ultra-conservative Fox News was the only reliable media outlet.
Another supporter told me about claims that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has a $34m mansion in Miami – showing the insidious nature of disinformation. This false claim, which originated in Russia on the day before their full-scale assault on Kyiv three years ago, spread again on social media following Zelensky’s dismal meeting with Trump.
‘Trump’s a f**king arsehole and they have no idea what they’re doing’
Yet I was struck also to meet three lifelong Republicans who have abandoned the party in despair at Trump’s antics, all pointing to his brutal treatment of Zelensky to illustrate their point. “It was terrible to do this in front of the world, mouthing off like a teenager. The president should not do that to people. If there’s a point to be made, do it behind closed doors,” said Bill, a former defence contractor in Fairfax, close to Washington. He was horrified also, as a fiscal conservative, to see his former party ditch free trade: “Trump’s a f**cking arsehole and they have no idea what they are doing.”
Sarah, 63, another old-school Republican who recently retired from social services, has also switched political allegiance. “I don’t like the way he treats people or the way he represents our country,” she said. “I voted for Trump in 2016 but regret that. I did not vote for him in 2020 after voting Republican all my life. I am very worried about the state of our country. I care about people. I care about how we present ourselves to the world. And I do not think this administration is going well.”
VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES - FEBRUARY 25: Protesters hold a demonstration against Elon Musk's actions in the Trump administration outside of Tesla dealership center in Arlington, Virginia, United States on February 25, 2025. (Photo by Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A protest outside a Tesla dealership in Arlington, Virginia, against Elon Musk’s actions in the Trump administration (Photo by Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu)
Like many people I spoke with in the state, Sarah has family members and friends among the 140,000 Virginians employed by the federal government, while many more work for firms feeding off the state. In the forestry department, she said, one friend of her daughter has seen all other six people in his unit fired, leaving him to cover their work. “The way this has been handled is awful,” she added. “I don’t like wasteful spending. I feel like we pay a lot in taxes. The Republicans would typically look into this in a respectful manner – not just randomly slashing jobs.”
One restaurant owner in Fairfax told me “the Trump effect” had led to a 20 per cent fall in trade as local people cut spending from fear they might face the axe. Yet Sarah said she did not dare discuss politics any more with her friends since “a lot of them have drunk the Kool Aid and he can do no wrong in their minds.” Others on the liberal left seemed nervous about expressing opposition or sharing names in public under this administration that claims to be such a champion of free speech. “I would be fired for talking to you,” said one young staffer at a medical contractor.
Joan Kruzicki Virginia, USA Taken by Ian Birrell for Virginia feature Provided by ianbirr@googlemail.com
Joan Kruzicki says: ‘I’m not going to allow him to steal my happiness'[ (Photo: Ian Birrell)
Voters such as Bill and Sarah demonstrate the political realignment taking place in many Western democracies as conservatives and populists target new slices of the electorate. “I don’t like Trump. I am a Democrat. I am Hispanic,” said Evelyn Smith, 28, a healthcare consultant. “But my brothers voted for Trump. He is able to connect with people on the lower end, hardworking people, and he does a really good job at marketing his message to make people believe that he’ll do something for them.”
Smith views Trump as a bigot and worries about her country’s future – but she also believes the Democrats need to wake up and change their strategy after failing so badly. Trump’s approval ratings are holding steady at a slightly higher rate than in his first term. He said his presidency was off to a “swift and unrelenting” start in his boastful speech last week to lawmakers from both chambers of Congress, taking pleasure at poking fun at the demoralised Democrats. Yet there is concern over the cost of living – symbolised by soaring egg prices – while only one in three Americans believe their country is heading in the right direction.
President-elect Donald Trump speaks as Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin listens during a meeting with Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Donald Trump with Virginia’s Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin pictured ahead of the President’s inauguration (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP)
‘He’s a deplorable, self-centred narcissist’
There was a dazed mood of despondency among many liberals that I met. “I am extremely depressed,” said Claire, 39, who works for a group running health clinics in Africa hit hard by the aid severance. “He is ruining all the progress that’s been made. I knew it was going to be bad, but this has been awful from day one.”
She was born and raised in northern Virginia, where one in eight people work in federal civilian posts including close family members. “I feel very, very defeated – the fact that he’s been able to do as many things as swiftly as he has and there is no stopping him with the Republican majority in Congress. This country will go downhill, I guarantee it. There’s no way we can deal with this for four years. I don’t know what will happen but this country is way too divided. It’s not going to be good.”
FILE PHOTO: The Pentagon building is seen in Arlington, Virginia, U.S. October 9, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, with the US Capitol in the distance, over the River Potomac in Washington DC (Photo: Carlos Barria/Reuters)
One man who works on technology within government told me there was a sense of “anxiety and depression” across the region. “A lot of people chose to work for the government because they believe deeply in the work they do and the causes they work for. Now they are being told that’s meaningless, that’s ineffective, that’s not helping anyone. Regardless of whether you are personally affected, that’s not a message you can receive all day, every day, after devoting your life to something.”
I talked with Caleb, 34, and a friend – whose former spouse is transgender – in a Fairfax cafe as they reflected ruefully on their shattered belief that liberalism and rights inevitably progressed. “We always think about rights increasing over time but now there is regression,” said the friend, who cannot be named due to her work. “I am so shocked and disappointed. I thought it would be a slow upwards trajectory.”
Pensioner Joan Kruzicki called Trump “a deplorable, self-centred narcissist” but told me that after half a century battling for progressive causes she had quit the field – although her wife, who is younger, is continuing the fight. She said: “I’m not going to allow him to steal my happiness. At 78, how many years do I have left? I don’t want to spend it bitching about this clown show.”
Yet Caleb felt inspired by the “overwhelming” events to investigate how to fight for democracy, a cause he never thought needed defending in his own land. “We are seeing Nazi symbolism being revived and discussions on a daily basis about fascism. These are not discussions I thought Americans would be having in this day and age.”
Love sign Farmville, Virginia, USA Taken by Ian Birrell for Virginia feature Provided by ianbirr@googlemail.com
Farmville, Virginia, USA (Photo: Ian Birrell)
‘I think we can recover – the foundation of democracy is strong’
Or as another young woman in Fairfax said with a smile: “We’ve not had a president declare themselves king – that’s kinda the opposite to our thing as Americans. But I think we can recover – the foundation of democracy is strong and there’s a nation of people that firmly believes in free speech, founded on the melting pot of diversity.”
It is striking to hear such divergence of views in one state. To his exuberant fans, Trump is a hero selflessly taking on a sordid political system to save democracy – but his dismayed foes see only a dangerous demagogue shredding the fabric and freedoms of society. Only time will tell which side in this divided land is right.