Voters in this 'boomerang' county say they're nostalgic for the Trump economy

EASTON, Pa. — Luis Escarraman says he is nostalgic for the Trump economy.
The 41-year-old Republican owns his own truck and hauls freight from New Jersey to California. Maintenance, parts, diesel fuel — it has all become so pricey, he said.

"I can do my living, but compared to what I used to have, I need to work extra to get what I used to have before," Escarraman said.

He is not alone. Poll after poll show voters trust the presumptive Republican 2024 nominee more on the economy than the incumbent, President Biden. It's an important factor as voters look ahead to Election Day in November — but it's far from the only one.

Escarraman said he is weighing a variety of factors in whom he supports politically. Right now, he is concerned about the increase in migration and the money the U.S. government is spending on conflicts overseas, as well as the high cost of living.

But he also remembers that life under former President Donald Trump was at times alarming. "I know it was a lot of fights in the country," he said. "It was kind of like a civil war, but financially, it was better."

Inflation was a top issue in this "boomerang" county back in 2021

Heading into the 2024 election, inflation is one of Biden's biggest and most persistent political challenges.

In the summer of 2021, when the cost of living began ticking up, NPR traveled to Northampton County, Pa., to hear how voters were feeling about the president and his economic agenda ahead of what was expected to be a bruising 2022 midterm election cycle.

Northampton is one of only 25 "boomerang" counties in the U.S., meaning people there voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, then opted for Trump in 2016 and then most recently in 2020 chose Joe Biden.

It's the type of county