New York – Donald Trump’s second term is drawing a very different kind of attention from some of the people who helped return him to the White House.
Across states that rarely look alike politically, from deep blue New York to deep red Florida and Texas, a growing number of voters who backed him in 2024 are now saying the same thing in different ways: they expected change, but not this.
The frustration is not coming from one corner of the country or one type of voter. It is showing up among Republicans, independents, younger voters, older voters, and people who once defended Trump’s campaign promises to relatives, coworkers and friends.
Many now say they feel stuck between what they were told would happen and what they are living through every day.
A new New York Times focus group, published April 28, 2026, put that disappointment into sharper focus.
The Opinion section gathered 12 voters who supported Trump in the 2024 election. Seven identified as Republicans and five as independents.
They came from Florida, Alabama, Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Washington. Their ages ranged from 19 to 65, and the group included people from different racial backgrounds and lines of work.
When they were asked whether they regretted voting for Trump, nine of the 12 raised their hands.
That moment captured what polls and online arguments often struggle to show: a personal sense of disillusionment. Some participants said they felt “betrayed.” Others used words such as “foolish,” “depressed” and “worried.”
One voter compared the experience to “a horror movie,” a phrase that quickly summed up the mood of a group that had not simply changed its mind, but seemed shaken by how far reality had drifted from expectation.
The grades they gave Trump’s performance were just as blunt.
Most landed in the C, D and F range. None of the participants gave him anything above a C. For a president who campaigned on strength, competence and quick results, the message from these former supporters was difficult to miss: they do not believe he has delivered.
The economy sat at the center of the complaints. Voters said the cost of everyday life remains too high, and for many families, it feels worse.
“Life is becoming more and more unaffordable,” one participant said. “The prices of things like gasoline and food overall haven’t come down.”
That frustration cuts directly against one of Trump’s most repeated campaign arguments.
Many voters backed him because they believed he would lower the cost of groceries, housing, energy and gas. Instead, they now say relief has not arrived. Tariffs were also blamed by participants for pushing more costs onto consumers, leaving households to absorb higher prices rather than the promised savings.
Energy and gas prices have become an especially painful issue. According to the provided context, prices have surged amid the Iran conflict, adding hundreds of dollars a month to household budgets nationwide.
For voters already stretched by food, rent, utilities and basic needs, the increase has become more than a political talking point. It has become a monthly bill.
Foreign policy added another layer to the disappointment. Several focus group participants criticized the Iran conflict as “uncalled for,” saying it clashed with Trump’s campaign promises to avoid new wars.
For voters who supported him because they believed he would keep the country out of costly foreign entanglements, the conflict has deepened the feeling that they were sold one version of Trump and given another.
Immigration, another major pillar of Trump’s campaign, also produced mixed and sometimes angry reactions. Some voters acknowledged early border-security gains, but others said the administration’s approach has felt inconsistent, harsh or poorly handled. Concerns included reports of family separations, racial profiling and delays affecting legal immigrants.
“The way he did it, it’s just not the way I agree with,” one participant said.
That statement reflected a wider unease among some former supporters. They may still believe immigration enforcement matters, but they are questioning the way those policies have been carried out. Others complained that deportation levels were lower than promised, leaving them dissatisfied from the opposite direction. Together, those reactions show how difficult it has become for Trump to satisfy parts of his own coalition.
The focus group has also fueled heavy reaction on X, formerly Twitter.
Users flooded comment sections tied to the discussion, with many echoing the voters’ anger and disappointment while others shared their own stories about rising prices, broken promises and political regret.
“Wtf?? I regret voting for Trump more and more everyday. I feel betrayed,” one user said while sharing a video of Senator Thomas Massie.
wtf?? I regret voting for Trump more and more everyday. I feel betrayed. https://t.co/vlFMoPgsPX
— Daniikitty🐱🩶✝️ (@DaniikittyNY) April 29, 2026
“They can already kiss the fu**ing midterms goodbye! I regret the fu** out of voting for Trump and he needs to be impeached he is unfit for office!,” another user recently commented.
“Yet I still get MAGA loyalist calling me a secret Democrat when I tell him I voted for Trump 3 times and regret it now,” GOP voter said.
“I voted for trump and now I regret it. He is destroying the dollar our prestige our allies our military our allies our economy. He is a pe*o who works for putin,” @ernestosantiago, a Trump voter, said.
For Trump, the warning is clear.
The backlash is not only coming from longtime critics. It is now being voiced by people who once gave him another chance. And for many of them, the regret is no longer quiet.
