“It was like passing out candy on Halloween,” said Breanne McUlty, who became one of Petersburg’s leading drug dealers while she was still a teenager. “I can’t say there isn’t one person I know who hasn’t been strung out.” (Courtesy of Breanne McUlty.)

“It was like passing out candy on Halloween,” said Breanne McUlty, who became one of Petersburg’s leading drug dealers while she was still a teenager. “I can’t say there isn’t one person I know who hasn’t been strung out.” (Courtesy of Breanne McUlty.)

“Fentanyl killed my son,” said Charlie Combs. “It’s here in Petersburg. It’s everywhere.” (Daniel Allott for the Washington Examiner.)

“It’s very hard being a Democrat in West Virginia,” said Sharon Nichols. “But oh the people are wonderful.” (Deirdre McQuade for the Washington Examiner.)

President Trump is “taking us down a really dangerous path,” said Barbara Henderson. Still, she said, most of those who voted for Trump seem happy with him. (Deirdre McQuade for the Washington Examiner.)

Some of the T-shirts sold at the recent Apple Harvest Festival in Burlington, W. Va. The T-shirt on the lower right says, “If this shirt offends you, you need a history lesson.” (Deirdre McQuade for the Washington Examiner.)

“First and foremost, in Macomb County, people are maxed out on taxes,” said state Senator Jack Brandenburg, a Republican who represents northern Macomb County. “They’re taxed out and they’re maxed out. They do not want any new taxes. (Jordan Allott for Washington Examiner.)

“I’d say the people that get up everyday and go to work here in Macomb County, they’re tired of hearing how they owe everybody else something because they have to go to work everyday,” said Paul Mitchell, who represents Michigan’s 10th congressional district, which includes part of Macomb County. (Jordan Allott for Washington Examiner.)

“I know a lot of people who have been here for years,” said Jackie of Arcadia’s Hispanic immigrants and the notion that some may feel unwelcome. “I mean, if they didn’t like it, I don’t think they would be here.” (Jordan Allott for Washington Examiner.)

Carmen and her daughter Rossellin said that they feel welcome in Arcadia. “Our community, they feel welcome, are welcome, so they open their arms for us,” said Carmen. “And this is why I am so happy to live in this place.” (Jordan Allott for Washington Examiner.)

Arcadia’s Main Street features several Hispanic-owned businesses, including Tienda Guerrero. (Jordan Allott for Washington Examiner.)

Father Sebastian Kolodziejczyk, a priest at Holy Family Parish in Arcadia, Wis., dismisses the idea that Donald Trump won Trempealeau County because of an anti-immigrant backlash. “[Trump] won the whole state, where not every county is experiencing the same [demographic] situation that we do.” (Jordan Allott for Washington Examiner.)

“If I owned the team and they did not stand, their asses would be gone,” said Jack Brandenburg, a straight-talking Republican state senator who represents part of Macomb County, Michigan, a county that single-handedly delivered Trump the vote differential to win Michigan. (Jordan Allott for Washington Examiner.)

Lee Walters of Howard County, Iowa, advised Trump to issue an executive order requiring all Americans to stand for the national anthem and banning desecration of the flag. Those who defy the order should get 50-year prison terms, he said, to be served “in the FEMA camps that are already built.” (Jordan Allott for Washington Examiner.)

The Pittsburgh Steelers side of the field is nearly empty during the playing of the national anthem before an NFL football game between the Steelers and Chicago Bears, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

Kid Rock’s restaurant, Made in Detroit, sits inside the brand new Little Caesars arena complex in downtown Detroit. (Daniel Allott for Washington Examiner.)

Kid Rock’s concert featured plenty of merchandise stamped with the profanity for which he is famous. During one song, a giant inflatable middle finger rose up on the stage’s platform. (Daniel Allott for Washington Examiner.)

Many concertgoers wore “Kid Rock for Senate” T-shirts. “We need someone in there with common sense and who will get things done for us,” one woman said. (Daniel Allott for Washington Examiner.)

“We are still waiting,” Nahren Anweya, an Assyrian-Christian activist in Macomb County, Mich., said of Iraqi Christians’ hope that President Trump will champion a safe zone for Christians in Iraq and Syria. “We hope that we are not let down. It’s a life and death situation for us. We still have hope for him and we’re praying every day that he will follow through.” (Jordan Allott for Washington Examiner.)

From an immigration detention center where he is slated for deportation, Hadeel Khalasawi said he hopes President Trump “could find it in his heart to look over this, and give us a second chance.” (Courtesy photo)

“We respect this country, we love it. We pay our taxes. We voted for Trump because of the things he said, and he lied to us,” said Sumar Khalasawi, a Chaldean Christian living in Macomb County, Mich., of President Trump’s promise to protect Middle East Christians. “I’m so embarrassed to say this but our president lied to us.” (Jordan Allott for Washington Examiner.)

“Democrats have taken the industrial Midwest for granted. I have lived here for many years and most Democrats just assume that we are in their pocket,” says Laura Hubka, the Democratic Party chair in Howard County, Iowa. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Hillary Clinton writes that her campaign was fully aware that winning the industrial Midwest was crucial for her, and that she didn’t ignore those states. People living in them would disagree. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

A man watches a television screen showing President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Train Station in Seoul, South Korea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

On Trump and North Korea, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse political science professor Joe Heim is comforted by one fact: “With three generals around President Trump, he is not likely to do anything rash.” (Jordan Allott for the Washington Examiner).

“I feel about as far from safe with Trump handling things as you can get,” said Chris Danou, a Democrat who used to represent Trempealeau County in the Wisconsin State Assembly. (Jordan Allott for the Washington Examiner).

President Donald Trump holding up a Texas flag in front of supporters outside Firehouse 5 in Corpus Christi, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Darryl Howard, left, thinks Donald Trump “most definitely” played on people’s racial fears to get elected, yet seriously considered voting for him. George Martin says his campaign was “almost exclusively” run on fear and insults, but he voted for and still supports the president. (Jordan Allott for the Washington Examiner).

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse political scientist Joe Heim says Democrats have “lost track of the rural voter and they have to start paying attention to those people.” (Jordan Allott for the Washington Examiner).

Courtney Rowe at the Democratic Party booth at the Mighty Howard County Fair in Cresco, Iowa (Jordan Allott for the Washington Examiner).

Sandy Chilson at her home in Lime Springs, Iowa (Jordan Allott for the Washington Examiner).

Hiba Alsabonge and Jasmine Alsabunji talk over dinner at Jasmine’s home in Erie, Pennsylvania. (Jordan Allott for the Washington Examiner).

Abdul Sitar from Damascus, Syria, and Hiba Alsabonge from Baghdad, Iraq, who is now a case manager at Catholic Charities of Erie. Sitar’s arm was shot off by a sniper at a checkpoint in 2013. “In the same day, 18 people get killed in this checkpoint. I’m the only survivor … . I just lost my arm and I run away.” (Jordan Allott for the Washington Examiner).

Chris Chilson at his home in Lime Springs, Iowa (Jordan Allott for the Washington Examiner)

Attorney Tiffany Powers holds the Democratic seat on the local board of elections. She feels Trump won the county in part because of the havoc caused by flood a month before Election Day. “When you’re trying to figure out how you going to flush the toilet with water, you’re first concern is not going to vote.” (Jordan Allott for the Washington Examiner)

(Jordan Allott for the Washington Examiner)

Talk to residents in Erie, and they’ll tell you most of the journalists who parachuted in to cover Trump’s improbable victory came not on a mission of understanding, but with their dreary conclusions already drawn. (Jordan Allott for the Washington Examiner)

Fatal drug overdoses increased 1400 percent in Pennsylvania between 1979 and 2014. At Community Shelter Services in Erie, Cynthia Weber talks about her three decades of struggles with drug addiction. “Quitting is easy,” she quipped, “I do it all the time.” (Jordan Allott for the Washington Examiner)

Responding to a question about the hope many Erie voters put in Donald Trump’s promise to reinvigorate the manufacturing sector, Erie County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper said, “The truth of the matter is I think people will be disappointed when they don’t see some of those economic changes happen like they had hoped.” (Jordan Allott for the Washington Examiner)

David Moore talked about why almost everyone at his former job, a plastics packaging manufacturer, voted for Donald Trump. “I know first hand from just my division when I worked in Erie, of 125 employees out of three shifts, every single one of us voted for Trump for the same reason,” he said. “We wanted change.” (Jordan Allott for the Washington Examiner)

Pittinger is a three-term congressman, but this is his first term representing Robeson County after redistricting. (Jordan Allott for the Washington Examiner)

Rep. Pittinger meets with community leaders at Adelio’s Italian restaurant in Lumberton.“ I’m here to learn,” he told the group. “You need to look at me as your client. I’m your advocate.” (Jordan Allott for the Washington Examiner)

Mark Locklear at his home in Maxton, North Carolina. (Jordan Allott for the Washington Examiner)

Donald Trump won 76 percent of the 493 counties with a Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. (Jordan Allott for the Washington Examiner).