Many in the bar this night, including Steve’s parents, gave their vote to Trump. They liked his promise to bring jobs back to the U.S. and the vow to make trade with China fairer. And they supported him when he said criminal immigrants would be deported. They just didn’t consider Stegall one, even if she came to the country illegally.
“I’ve always been proud to be an American,” says Shirley Stegall, Steve’s mom. “But now I’m ashamed.”
Jerry Rosetti, sipping scotch and water near the box of letters to Stegall, doesn’t think she should have been targeted and calls the situation “a raw deal.” But he still supports the president and still thinks illegal immigration is wrong.
“I would trade places with her in a minute,” he says. “She shouldn’t be in Mexico. She should be right here, right now.”
The dichotomy angers Steve. When someone balances compassion for his wife with support for Trump, he’s confounded.
“He’s destroying American lives,” Steve says of the president. “How can you do this? How can you do this to your own American people?”