We asked, you answered: Granite Staters say the Trump-Ayotte economy isn’t feeling great

NEED TO KNOW:

• As polls reveal that a majority of Americans disapprove of President Trump’s handling of the economy, the Granite Post headed to Reddit to find out how locals are feeling.
• Within five hours, the Reddit thread received 300+ comments from Granite Staters sharing stories of how they have personally been affected by recent economic shifts.
• The Reddit thread also revealed frustration with Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s complacency. 

Recently, Granite Post’s political correspondent, Colin Booth, went to Reddit and asked members of the New Hampshire sub-Reddit how they were feeling about President Donald Trump’s economic decisions—and how they’re affecting their communities offline. 

Within five hours, more than 300 Granite Staters had commented on the thread, with many voicing their frustrations about the economic hardships they’re now facing. Read on to see what they had to say.

Working 9 to 5 isn’t working

Despite Trump’s campaign promises to lower the cost of living, several Granite Staters said that they had to relocate—or find jobs out of state—to make ends meet. 

“As far as the New Hampshire economy goes, I think things are the same as usual. And by that I mean I have to work at a place in Massachusetts to get a decent wage,” said one Reddit user.

“I’m coming into a promotion with a decent raise, and it’s just going to go to keeping up with the absurd cost of living,” said another.

Tourism troubles

Others voiced concerns that the strained relationship between the US and Canada, due to Trump’s proposed trade tariffs, will affect New Hampshire’s tourism industry—which has historically brought between $3 to $4 million in annual revenue to Hampton Beach, according to local reports.

“Our state economy is heavily impacted by tourism and trade with Canada. This is gonna hurt a lot of NH citizens,” said one commenter.

Canadian tourism typically accounts for about 5% of overall visitors to the Granite State, and state officials are predicting they will receive fewer visitors this year in response to tensions between the countries. 

Several communities in New Hampshire have already reported seeing a decrease in visitors from Canada. 

“With no Canadian patrons, I’ll be out of business. [Trump] did not have to make snide remarks about Canadians. That was careless and cost me a fortune,” said another commenter on the Reddit thread. 

Complacency isn’t key

While Gov. Kelly Ayotte has said she’s concerned about Trump’s tariff plan and what it could do to New Hampshire’s economy, there hasn’t been much action—even after the Trump administration revoked $80 million in public health funding for the state. 

Gov. Ayotte’s response was to say that the state government is seeking to recoup that money through administrative repeals. 

“I do not like Trump’s strategy and do not see how it will help the average American. The fact that Kelly Ayotte is backing him up is disappointing,” commented one Reddit user.

“Kelly Ayotte is and has always been great at marketing to the NH public, but her agenda is essentially maintaining the status quo and hoping NH can remain affordable/high quality without doing much to ensure it does so,” said another commenter.

“Trump’s chaotic actions are anything but status quo. NH has to be proactive and work to address our existing growing issues sustainably. This stress will only accelerate and exacerbate things.”

A May public opinion survey found that a majority of polled Americans say they disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy, with both his economic approval rating and overall approval rating falling by double digits since February.