32 percent of Massachusetts voters backed him, although not to much delight.

Since its first launch in 2016 Trump has maintained a nearly unwavering base of support in the state despite allegations he plotted to overturn his 2020 defeat, an unprecedented 34-count conviction and various other indictments. Yet while Trump once said he values ​​loyalty above “everything,” it is not blind loyalty that keeps many of his supporters in his column.

In interviews, a dozen people who told Suffolk University pollsters they were voting Again, Trump says they look back fondly on the state of the country when he was in office and want it back. They are now suffering financially, their personal decline coinciding with President Biden’s time in office. Or they have larger issues, be it the economy or immigration, and they believe – as they did eight years ago and then four years ago – that Trump is best suited to solve both problems. Some say they simply can’t stomach the alternatives on the ballot.

So they plan to fill the bubble for Trump, almost all of them for the third election in a row.

“And every time,” says Brian Jenkins, 55, of Sutton, “I say, ‘I’ll never do that again.’ »

Even in In Massachusetts, a state the former president never won, his support remained virtually unchanged. He received roughly one in every three votes in 2016 and 2020 and appears poised to do so again, based on a base that a recent Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll shows is predominantly white, mostly men 50 and older .

In general, they say they are not concerned about criminal cases against Trump or are willing to look past them. Drawn to him in 2016 because he was not a career politician, many say they have faith in him two presidential campaigns later.

“I’m stronger than ever with him,” said Arthur Puckett, a 76-year-old car salesman from Leicester. An independent voter who considers himself a conservative, Puckett said he plans to vote for Trump a third time because he believes his time in office has been successful.

“During his reign there were no wars, a stable economy, a good stock market. . . . When he was there, how did the country live? Was it better there than now? Puckett said. “I would say yes.”

Some are even returning to Trump. Billy Cleghorn, a 48-year-old botanist from Haverhill, said he voted for Trump in 2016 and then for Biden in 2020, saying he was “into the political climate.” Trump, he said, seems like a “bad choice” and he has nothing against Biden, who emerged from a crowded Democratic field.

His views changed dramatically. Cleghorn, an Army veteran, said he disagreed with Biden’s handling of foreign wars — “We’re prepared to fight the world,” he said — or the economy. He said he personally felt the pressure of rising interest rates, which made it impossible for him to buy a home.

“I’m not a Trumper,” Cleghorn said. But he said he could no longer support the Democratic Party. “My life has become significantly more difficult since Biden took office.”

He is not alone. Roberta Winston, 72, said she left her career as a kitchen and bathroom designer only to feel the need to work part-time at a local retail store two years ago. According to her, this is not for additional expenses.

“My utility bills have skyrocketed. Food is growing rapidly. Rents have gone up. Life is extremely difficult,” said the Harwich resident.

She said she voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 and plans to do so again, her confidence unshaken by the charges against him, his criminal conviction for falsifying business records (a first for a former president) and other legal problems that have engulfed Trump since then. since he left. office.

“Some people just hate it. That’s how they are. They don’t like him and they never will,” said Jessie Kibbe, a 48-year-old independent voter from Palmer who is voting for Trump for the third time.

“People sometimes don’t like directness,” she said. “They want people to chat around them and act like, ‘Oh, everything’s fine.’ And no, that’s not true. Something needs to be said, and someone says it.”

But it’s Trump’s rhetoric that’s giving some supporters pause, at least to some extent. In recent weeks, Trump has called Democrats the “enemy within” and suggested military action against them. Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly said in recent interviews with The New York Times and The Atlantic that Trump suggested Adolf Hitler “did some good things” and that while president Trump said he wanted “German generals” like him. next to him.

“What he’s been saying lately is crazy,” said Greg Benefit, a 69-year-old retired nurse and independent voter from Plymouth. “The ‘enemy within’ type of thing.” This is crazy. What are we talking about here? . . . He seems to be getting paranoid.

“But,” Benefit continued, “when you get down to it, he’s not afraid to say what he says. That’s the only reason I’m voting for him.”

Jim Perot, a Salisbury Republican, said he personally cares about Trump. “He’s brash, he’s arrogant, he’s narcissistic, he’s a bad communicator,” said the 67-year-old business analyst.

Jenkins, a Sutton resident, also cited a reason why he doesn’t like Trump. “There is too much instability in his administration – I’m sure it’s because of his ego. He surrounds himself with yes people,” he said.

But both men said they would vote for Trump despite those reservations. Perot said what matters most to him is the Republican platform, not the person. For Jenkins, who said he works in banking, it’s economics; he believes Trump understands better than anyone how to promote the growth of “what divides us and what holds us back as a superpower.”

“Trust me,” he added, again endorsing Trump. “It’s not easy.”

Indeed, some say simply being a Trump supporter is difficult, even dangerous, in a state that hasn’t supported a Republican for president in four decades.

John, 61 years old small business owner from Methuen, said Trump spoke to the working class during his 2016 victory and largely succeeded, including through tax cuts.

A public statement could have consequences, he said. John refused to give his last name or say what kind of work he does for fear that clients would “cancel” his business. He also decided not to post Trump campaign sign.

“People like me are afraid to put it on their front lawn for fear of retribution,” he said. “It’s too dangerous.”

Others are not so embarrassed. Danny Gallant, a 56-year-old landscaper from Leicester, said that as an independent voter he did not necessarily identify with republicans but would like to see a third party – MAGA.

“Trump doesn’t care. He will cut down the dead wood. That’s how the country succeeds,” Gallant said. “A country is only as good as its worst inhabitants. And he wants to get rid of the bad residents.

“I want King Trump,” he said, “if you ask me.”

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Matt Stout can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @mattpstout.