‘I have cancer and I work in research’: Americans share the biggest ways Trump’s policies have changed their lives

Portrait of President Donald Trump overlaid by an r/Askreddit post by @top-fruitsalad that reads 'how did Trump's presidency impact your life so far?'

Top_FruitSalad/Reddit Shutterstock (Licensed)

On the r/AskReddit subreddit, u/Top-Fruitsalad has asked, “How did Trump’s presidency impact your life so far?”

Since taking office on Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump has implemented policies that significantly affect jobs, healthcare, and societal dynamics in the United States. These actions continue to shape the nation’s landscape.

In healthcare, the Trump administration has taken steps to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Some initiatives, like Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), aim to provide more choices. However, critics argue that these changes may lead to higher premiums and reduced coverage for many Americans.

Internationally, the administration’s “America First” policy has led to significant cuts in foreign aid, including a 90% reduction in USAID’s foreign aid contracts, amounting to $60 billion in cuts. This has disrupted healthcare services worldwide, particularly in African countries heavily reliant on U.S. aid.

The Trump administration has implemented polarizing policies within the United States government. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, has been involved in purging federal web pages and institutional memory. This leads to concerns about the erasure of historical records and the potential for censorship. This approach has drawn parallels to the totalitarian regime depicted in George Orwell’s “1984,” where controlling information is a means of controlling society.

Additionally, the administration’s stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has led to significant changes in federal policies, including the elimination of DEI programs. Many corporations have followed the Trump administration’s lead in dismantling their DEI initiatives. Meanwhile, retailers such as Costco and Ben & Jerry’s have doubled down on their efforts of inclusivity.

Below, 26 Redditors respond to how Trump’s presidency has altered their lives:

Response to Reddit post asking how the Trump presidency affected them. — u/shitty_owl_lamp via Reddit

Response to Reddit post asking how the Trump presidency affected them. Text reads, 'As a federal employee, Trump’s presidency brought a government shutdown that left me without pay for weeks. It was stressful figuring out bills, but it also showed me how fragile job security can be, even in government work. It changed how I view leadership and the impact of politics on everyday life.' — u/shitty_owl_lamp via Reddit

Response to Reddit post asking how the Trump presidency affected them. Text reads, 'People around me suddenly became comfortable being outwardly racist and intolerant' — u/Reasonable_Zebra_174 via Reddit

Response to Reddit post asking how the Trump presidency affected them. Text reads, 'One of my grants had funds rescinded. I'm sure the rest are on the chopping block. Trickle down economics seems to only work with money loss, not gain.' — u/FortuneTellingBoobs via Reddit

Response to Reddit post asking how the Trump presidency affected them. Text reads, 'My brother and his friends laughed about the strife with the LGBTQ+ crowd, and how a lot of these kids are talking about killing themselves now. Coming from the same people who go to church on the regular and serve god. What a crock of sh*t.' — u/FortuneTellingBoobs via Reddit

Response to Reddit post asking how the Trump presidency affected them. Text reads, ' I store threatened and endangered seeds. Seeds that are found no where else in the world. I have worked with plants that cannot survive outside of a test tube. Of course some will say this is natural selection. It is, but to me it is preservation and conservation I'm working as hard as I can, every day. But I assume I won't have this job in a couple weeks.' — u/Squishmitt6 via Reddit

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Response to Reddit post asking how the Trump presidency affected them. Text reads, ' I lost my federal job with just 10 days left in my probation period. I have received nothing but praise for my performance and have documented outstanding performance reviews on record. Apparently my 'performance' was found to 'not be in the public interest'. Me and 3,500 other Forest Service employees got the same exact termination letter.' — u/someones1 via Reddit

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Response to Reddit post asking how the Trump presidency affected them. Text reads, 'European - cancelled my US vacation this year and will spend it in France instead.' — u/Maverick_1991 via Reddit

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“I am due to start my PhD this fall, but people’s admissions offers to PhD programs are being rescinded left and right because of the federal funding freeze. Hasn’t happened to me yet but it could literally be any day. The future is totally uncertain now, even though I did everything right.

On top of that my fiancée was very excited to be starting a pharmacy residency in a VA hospital this summer, but they are now on a hiring freeze due to chaos in the VA at the federal level.

So basically we might both be sh*t out of luck career wise.” — u/ViridianNott

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Response to Reddit post asking how the Trump presidency affected them. Text reads, 'I work in renewables. Ships about to sink and we are doing everything we can to stay afloat.' — u/minibabybuu via Reddit

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Response to Reddit post asking how the Trump presidency affected them. Text reads, ' I own a roofing company and my supplier told me they're going to have to double the price of a box of nails.' — u/RobtasticRob via Reddit

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Response to Reddit post asking how the Trump presidency affected them. Text reads, 'I'm a truck driver. My load count each week last year was 10 per week. I'm struggling to get 7 loads now. 30% reduction in my income so far. Confidence in construction is not great in my area, which was booming.' — u/RobtasticRob via Reddit

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Response to Reddit post asking how the Trump presidency affected them. Text reads, 'I schedule shipments for my company, textile fabric, and we are down so much. I have a lot of the reps from the truck companies coming in asking why we’re not using them. I feel bad because we all work so closely, reps, drivers and myself, and I just can’t ship enough to help with their routes.' — u/skippehh via Reddit

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Response to Reddit post asking how the Trump presidency affected them. Text reads, 'As a Canadian. Our country has collectively united in a way that I have never seen before in my lifetime. Canadians are broadly boycotting US goods and cancelling travel plans.' — u/srakken via Reddit

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Response to Reddit post asking how the Trump presidency affected them. Text reads, 'I am not a federal employee, but the bulk of my work is with federal contractors. If they lose their contracts, I lose them as clients. It hasn't happened yet, but my clients are making noises like it's going to happen. This sucks.' — u/SandraVirginia via Reddit

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Response to Reddit post asking how the Trump presidency affected them. Text reads, 'Lost my UN job. Im located all the way across the world and one dudes decision literally shattered my already-fragile livelihood.' — u/SandraVirginia via Reddit

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Response to Reddit post asking how the Trump presidency affected them. Text reads, 'Many clients of my company do scientific research that is funded by grants. At this point, many of their applications are stalled and they don’t know if they’ll have money to continue their work. Bad news for them and for us by extension.' — u/Misfit-for-Hire via Reddit

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Response to Reddit post asking how the Trump presidency affected them. Text reads, 'I have cancer and I work in research. I have to deal with the triple threat that cancer research is being cut, that I definitely die if I lose my job and insurance with my own area being potentially cut, and that I may die anyway seeing science being crushed. It's like I not only know I could die very soon, I have to see everything I worked towards and care about destroyed first. I spent most of my life working towards this, and it's heartbreaking to now know it was probably a waste.' — u/doktornein via Reddit

26.

“Back in the 2018, I was a software dev at General Motors. Trump’s steel tariffs led to 14,000 layoffs. I was one of them. He cost me my job. Also, discovering just how many of our fellow countrymen are catastrophically stupid has been kinda rough.” —u/ProfCalSinewave