Political tone drove this conservative across party lines. He says buyer’s remorse brought him back
Rev. Paul Ringold said he had buyer’s remorse the last time he voted across party lines.
In 2016, the 46-year-old Republican pastor and independent truck driver cast his ballot for Republican Donald Trump. But in Trump's reelection bid in 2020, Ringold chose Democrat Joe Biden instead.
He said he grew increasingly concerned by Trump's rhetoric and what he describes as a rise in intolerance. He was also deeply disturbed by Trump supporters' violent and deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He said it "crossed a line."
"People were emboldened. They're saying what they want to say. We need somebody that is going to at least bring down the tone — tone things down because it seems to be everybody's on edge," he said. "That was why I voted for Joe Biden in 2020.”
He quickly regretted the decision.
In an increasingly stressed economy during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ringold said Biden’s green energy policies drove up the cost of diesel fuel for his truck.
Pastor and truck driver Paul Ringold at home before service on August 4, 2024.
Ringold getting dressed before service.
Trump's rhetoric and his involvement in the January 6th Capitol riot repulsed Ringold, but inflation under Biden brought him to support the former president in 2024.
