Why Trump supporters say the U.S. president is doing a 'phenomenal' job

Inthe blue collar town of Blasdell, N.Y., Woodlawn Deli owner MikeShafer steppedaway from the cash register for a few minutesto explain why he believesDonald Trump is doing a great job as U.S.president.

Indeed, Shaferwentone step further. Not only hasTrump excelledas commander-in-chief duringhis brief time in office, but he's accomplished more than Barack Obama didin eight years, he said.

"He's stuck to everything he said he's going to do, so far, except put Hillary [Clinton] in jail. That's the only thing he hasn't done."

To be sure, Trump has had a busy two weeks since assuming the presidency, taking executive action on many fronts. Hepulled the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, beganthe process of rolling back theAffordable Care Actand movedforward with theKeystoneXL pipeline project.

Executive orders

Healso signed an executive orderto begin planningthe construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to keep out illegal immigrants. And he barred Syrian refugees from coming into the U.S. indefinitely and imposed a 120-dayban on all refugees and 90-day ban on visitors coming from seven Muslim-majority countries. He alsodismissed the country's acting attorney general who refused to enforce the travel banand nominated conservativejudge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.

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"At least he's trying to do stuff right away. Not just sit back," said Ray Sanford, a truck driver who made a quick stop at the deli to pick up a sandwich. "I think he's going to do a good job. He's got the ambition to go and do stuff."

While some ofTrump's moves have sparked outrage and demonstrations across the country, many of his supporters seem very pleased.

Pro-Trump sentiment was certainlyshared amongmany of the customers who trickledin for lunch at the small Woodlawn Deli, an establishmentthat is half restaurant, half grocery store.It's located on the west side of a major road that cuts deep through this Rust Belt area, which is home to a Republic Steel plant.

Blasdellis about 13 kilometres south of Buffalo, and both the town and the city are part of Erie County, which went for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. Still, Trump won 44.4 per centof the vote the highest percentage for a Republican candidate since Ronald Reagan in1984, according to Politifact.

But those kinds of statisticsdon't interest Shafer, who said hedoesn't really follow politics.

Except this year he decided to vote forpresident forthe first time since Ross Perot ran for office in 1992.

"I'm just sick of it," Shafer said. "Sick of the same-old bull crap, same people getting in, promising you this, promising you that and doing absolutely nothing."

Trump was and is different, he said, someone who would tell it like it is and, so far, isjust doing what he said he wasgoing to do.

That includes Trump's controversialexecutive order to impose a temporary ban on refugees.

'Should be properly vetted'

"Do you lock your door at night? I lock my door at night. We don't just want anybody walking in," saidDave Thompson, sitting at one of the deli's tables, eating awrap. "They should be properly vetted. They haven't been properly vetted."

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Thompson, who engraves industrial steel rolls, said Trump is doing "an excellent job" and praisedhim forhis executive orders, including the one that begins the process ofrolling back Obamacare.

He also "loved every minute" of Trump's inaugural speech, which was hammered by critics who characterized the address as a dark,confrontational, campaign-style polemic.

"I thought it was beautiful," Thompson said. "It was very positive. He's going to takeon crime. He's going to take on all this stuff in this countrythat everybody's ignored."

He got in there and started working right away. He didn't sit back, he didn't go on vacation. He didn'tgo to Hawaii. He didn'tgo on the golf course. He's working.- Trump supporter SueFassl

But not everyone at the Woodland Deli wasenamoured withTrump's first two weeks.

"Horrible," said John Yeager, when asked to describe Trump's presidency thus far.

"Just across the board, just everything he's doing, everythingonthenews that's been negative about him," he said. "I've never had a president of our country where I've seen other countriesprotesting him."

'Feel like they're entitled'

But in nearby North Tonawanda, part of Niagara County, which did go for Trump,Sue Fassldismissed those demonstratingacross the U.S. against the president.

Most of them are nothing but a bunch of whining millennials, a productof a system that has"sugar coated everything all their lives," saidFassl, owner of Designer Sportswear.

"They don't have any idea of the real world," she said. "They feel like they'reentitledto everything but theydon't have to work for anything. Halfof them don't have to balance a cheque book."

Fassl said she loves Trump, and that "he's been doing phenomenal."

"He got in there and started working right away. He didn't sit back. He didn't go on vacation. He didn'tgo to Hawaii. He didn'tgo on the golf course. He's working."

Overat the National Bowling Store, Larry Okansat waiting to purchase a new bowling ball. He said he wasn't surprised byreportsthe presidentmay have had less-than-diplomaticdiscussions over the phone with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nietoand Australian Prime MinisterMalcolm Turnbull.

"He likes to fight. It's a good quality. He's a negotiator. I'm a salesman, and I like to negotiate, too. It just goes hand in hand."

But Steve Hocking, who's "kind of neutral on Trump,"saidit's too soon to judge the new presidentand he'd rather re-evaluate him after his first100 days.

"Who knows, he might get us into a big mess," he said."Or, the skieswill get clear."

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