Up First from NPR – "American Voices on Trump"

Date: September 28, 2025
Host: Ayesha Rascoe
Guests: Debbie Elliott, Kirk Sigler (NPR Reporters)

Episode Overview

This episode of Up First’s "Sunday Story" takes listeners on a radio road trip across the U.S., exploring how President Trump’s early actions in his second term—especially regarding tariffs, federal cuts, and DEI programs—are tangibly affecting Americans far from Washington. NPR reporters Debbie Elliott and Kirk Sigler share voices and stories from Mississippi’s manufacturing sector, New Mexico’s oil fields, rural agriculture hubs, Alabama’s fight for racial representation, and the challenges facing national parks and public land workers.

Key Discussion Points

1. Tariffs and Manufacturing in Tupelo, Mississippi

[01:02 – 06:13]

• Kirk Sigler visits Tupelo, a manufacturing-heavy, Trump-supporting region, to explore reactions to Trump's tariffs.
• Brian Hawkins, CEO of Hawkeye Industries, explains that while tariffs are making raw materials more expensive, business remains strong:

  • "We're as busy as I've ever been. I'm trying to hire people right now." (Brian Hawkins, 02:31)

• Hawkins is largely unfazed by the tariffs:

  • "I look at that as, like, taxes. Everybody's got to pay it, you know, so just get used to it." (Brian Hawkins, 03:14)

  • He believes tariffs are a short-term, political move:

    "I don't believe the tariffs are an economic tool. I believe they are a political tool." (Brian Hawkins, 03:38)

• David Rumbarger, Community Development Foundation, says that uncertainty from fluctuating tariffs worries businesses:

  • "Business likes a stable environment, so uncertainty does cause a little bit of pain." (David Rumbarger, 04:40)

• Local business leaders and defense contractors support building a more resilient U.S. supply chain but express hope that the current pain will lead to long-term manufacturing growth:

  • "We support the national interest of making our supply chain more resilient and if possible, bringing as much of that manufacturing back to the United States or to our friends and allies as possible." (Gerald Godbolt, 05:51)

2. Tariffs and Natural Resource Economies in the West

[08:43 – 15:43]

• Kirk Sigler heads to New Mexico’s oil fields, where optimism about deregulation is undercut by trade war fallout.
• Sean Dugan (Dugan Production) notes that tariffs have driven up steel pipe costs:

  • "He used to spend 80 grand on a load of those steel pipes...Now it's more like 120,000." (Kirk Sigler paraphrasing Sean Dugan, 10:48)

  • Dugan laments the uncertainty:

    • "It just kneecaps you when all this uncertainty and volatility is in the air." (Sean Dugan paraphrased, 10:48)

• George Sharp (Marion Oil and Gas) doubts the strategy:

  • "I think the whole tariff thing is going to backfire on Trump." (George Sharp, 11:12)

• In eastern Washington, Jim Moyer (wheat farmer) describes unpredictable conditions due to tariffs:

  • "We're looking for stability so that we can adjust and, and start managing with a pathway that we're reasonably certain of going forward." (Jim Moyer, 13:12)

  • Farmers invest heavily in equipment and rely on exports to Asia, making them vulnerable to retaliatory tariffs.
• In North Dakota, Justin Sherlock (soybean farmer) observes:

  • "China is also imposing retaliatory tariffs in response to President Trump's. And it's not looking soon anyway that China's going to be buying much of any American soybeans this year." (Kirk Sigler paraphrasing, 15:13)

• The segment underscores the tension between American-first trade policy and international market dependence.

3. DEI Program Cuts and Representation in Alabama

[16:57 – 22:49]

• Debbie Elliott explores repercussions of Trump's cuts to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
• In Mobile, Shalaya Doughty—Army vet and plaintiff in an Alabama redistricting lawsuit—describes fighting for fair congressional representation:

  • "It's about fair representation. It's about just making sure you have someone that cares about your community..." (Shalaya Doughty, 17:54)

• Changes led to Alabama electing a second Black member to the House:

  • "In the past, I really never really saw my representative, my member of Congress. So it sounds like she's saying that's changed, like, and that now she feels like she has a voice and some power." (Ayesha Rascoe paraphrasing, 18:55)

• Doughty is upset by DEI rollbacks at her alma mater, West Point:

  • "...The Women's Engineering Club is no longer able to operate...the National Society of Black Engineers...and our black student union...No longer able to operate." (Shalaya Doughty, 19:41)

  • On the administration's anti-DEI stance:

    • "To me personally, I feel like it's all about making America white again." (Shalaya Doughty, 20:25)

• Evan Milligan, another redistricting plaintiff, emphasizes the urgency of representation amid anti-DEI measures:

  • "The importance of having more representation at a time when the idea of representation is being undermined, that's a really important thing." (Evan Milligan, 21:20)

  • He encourages hope and ongoing engagement:

    • "We actually not only can resist, but, you know, over time transcend the direction that some are pulling this country in right now. And that's a very difficult thing to do. But it starts with the hope." (Evan Milligan, 22:06)

4. Cuts and Challenges in America’s Public Lands

[23:27 – 29:01]

• Kirk Sigler reports on the impact of budget cuts and hiring freezes on federal land agencies.
• The Forest Service’s claim that firefighting capacity is unaffected is challenged by field voices:
  • Kayla, a recently fired and rehired Forest Service worker (anonymized):

    • "It was like a slap to the face...It's shocking to me that our position could be taken away that easily without...thorough investigation on exactly what we do and how we perform." (Kayla, 24:51)

    • "The loss of so many positions. It just seems impossible at this moment. And it's. It's scary. It's really scary." (Kayla, 25:18)

• National Parks—like Glacier in Montana—appear normal to tourists thanks to more seasonal hires but suffer behind the scenes:
  • Sarah Lundstrom (National Parks Conservation Association):

    • "What I've been likening it to is it's this facade of a park experience...It's like you're in a Hollywood movie set and everything looks great. But there's not much behind it." (Sarah Lundstrom, 27:14)

  • Staff describe unfilled roles, overwork, loss of institutional knowledge, and volunteers covering essential duties.
• The Interior Department’s Secretary Doug Burgum (in Senate testimony) frames the cuts as reducing bureaucracy:

  • "I want more people in the parks...I want more of that. I want less overhead." (Doug Burgum, paraphrased, 28:22)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Tariffs:

  "I don't believe the tariffs are an economic tool. I believe they are a political tool."
  (Brian Hawkins, 03:38)

• On Representation:

  "It's about fair representation. It's about just making sure you have someone that cares about your community."
  (Shalaya Doughty, 17:54)

• On Change and Resistance:

  "We actually not only can resist, but, you know, over time transcend the direction that some are pulling this country in right now. And that's a very difficult thing to do. But it starts with the hope."
  (Evan Milligan, 22:06)

• On National Parks Cuts:

  "It’s this facade of a park experience...everything looks great. But there’s not much behind it."
  (Sarah Lundstrom, 27:14)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Mississippi Tariffs & Manufacturing: 01:02 – 06:13
• New Mexico Oil Fields & Trade War: 08:43 – 15:43
• Alabama DEI Cuts & Representation: 16:57 – 22:49
• Federal Lands, Parks & Firefighting Cuts: 23:27 – 29:01

Conclusion

The NPR road trip delivers a nuanced look at real Americans wrestling with Trump-era policy changes. Patience and hope surface alongside frustrations and uncertainty, whether dealing with trade shocks, struggles for representation, or the hollowing of public infrastructure. The voices collected reveal a country adapting, enduring, and questioning what comes next.