Are North Carolina Trump voters ready to admit he lost? Here’s what some said.

Two weeks after losing the election, the only ground President Trump is giving up are the divots he’s making at his Virginia golf club.

Are his North Carolina backers equally steadfast? I checked with several who have written or called in the past. Their comments show Trump’s supporters are more willing to acknowledge reality than the president, but they’re still skeptical about the election results and President-elect Joe Biden.

While Trump will soon be gone, Trumpism clearly will remain.

Paul Duffy, 74, of Rocky Mount, is resigned to Trump’s loss but grateful for the performance of Republicans overall. He said in an email: “I have accepted what I believe is the inevitable result of the election, but I also believe that there was a lot of consolation for conservatives statewide and nationally since the socialist crowd had to step back and face the fact that their brand has no great universal appeal except in those bastions of liberalism such as California and New York.”

Harold Keith, 79, of Knightdale, said he will accept the results of the election, but he doesn’t think the president-elect will really be in charge after Jan. 20. “I hope Biden does well, but he’s not going to be running the government,” Keith said. “People in the background will because I don’t think he’s mentally capable of it.”

Larry, 79, of Raleigh, asked that his last name be withheld. He is concerned about backlash from angry Democrats. He said he put a Trump sign in his yard and someone later yanked the wires out of his cable TV connection. He’s not sure if the two were connected, but he’s not taking chances.

“I’m very angry and upset because I truly do believe the election was stolen and I’m upset that the media has crowned Biden as the president-elect,” Larry said. “This thing is not over. It may not go in my direction, but you’re never going to convince me it was not crooked.”

Larry doesn’t think Trump’s failure to present a national plan for containing the coronavirus cost him the election. Rather he gives the president credit for the rapid development of vaccines despite doubts from Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “Fauci said 18 to 24 months and they did it in eight months,” Larry said. “I think (Trump) did a spectacular job.”

Dottie, 71, of Rocky Mount, who also asked to have her full name withheld, said Trump’s delay in conceding isn’t a problem. “I don’t see time as a problem,” she said. “If there is a valid issue, I don’t see why it should be rushed.”

Jackie MIlls, 84, of Raleigh, agreed. “Nobody said anything when Al Gore didn’t concede for 37 days,” she said. “When (Trump) goes 37 days and hasn’t conceded, call me back.” She thinks there was voter fraud, but she doesn’t expect Trump to prevail. She said, “I think he has definitely lost the election.”

Tim Stevens, 66, of Selma, isn’t buying the election results. “I’m convinced there was a great deal of chicanery involved in the votes,” he said. But he’s resigned to the outcome.

Stevens’ main frustration is that the press has lost all objectivity as it tilts toward liberal views; even Fox News is going that way. “ He said, “Fox News has gone down the drain. They decided they want to join the party.”

Now, with Trump on the way out, Stevens said the nation has been whipsawed left and right by a liberal President Barack Obama and a controversial President Trump. “Obama sent it one way over a cliff and maybe Trump sent it the other way,” he said. “But there’s no question we’re in a mess.”

This story was originally published November 19, 2020 at 3:23 PM.