In the Bible Belt, Trump's base holds firm despite war and inflation

As one local puts it, there's a "church on every street" of the Appalachian community of Kingsport, in the US state of Tennessee.

Christianity reigns supreme in this working-class area. Above downtown's historic Lamplight Theatre, a sign proclaims "Jesus first in all things".

And while more than 300 area churches may be providing spiritual sustenance to this town of 58,000 people, there's another institution that supplies it with economic nourishment.

The Holston Army Ammunition Plant churns out explosives used in Patriot missiles, warheads and other heavy weaponry in the midst of the country's costly and prolonged war with Iran.

The war, and its knock-on effects on everything from gas to groceries, has led to a steep decline in President Donald Trump's approval ratings. Recent polling has placed his approval at an historic low of 32% - down 14% from when he first took office in January 2025 - with many Republican respondents citing disillusionment with the president's policies.

The two big drags on the president's popularity are the cost of living and the Iran War, with one bleeding into the other. The conflict has caused gas prices in the US to spike to above $4 a gallon, a painful hike to any US business that relies on transport.

But in Kingsport, support for the president approaches an almost-religious fervor. The city voted overwhelmingly for Trump in all three of his elections. So did wider Tennessee, a Republican state for more than 25 years.

When it comes to the Iran conflict, most residents either outright support the military action or rationalise the war's necessity - despite Trump's repeated campaign promise of "no more wars".

"If he can stop anyone from having a nuclear bomb, then I'm for it," says Pam Robinson, 65, who spent 20 years working at the local chemical plant.

David Carter, a bearded veteran who plays Santa Claus at Christmastime, says "the whole reason we go over there, and we keep everything under control there, is [so that] we don't have it on our doorstep."

Others are more blunt.

"Honestly, I think we should turn them into a parking lot and don't worry about it anymore," says veteran James Camper, 63, wearing a Trump lanyard around his neck as he exits a discount grocery.

Veterans account for around 10% of the region's population, and many other households have active duty family members.

Robinson, a staunch Christian and independent voter who says her faith informs her candidate choices, believes the remote nature of the war may be preventing local people from being more upset with Trump.

"Let me say this: If it was hand-to-hand and more people were getting killed, people would be banging the doors down," she says.

Kingsport's position as a main munitions manufacturer - with Holston standing as the only domestic supplier of some essential explosive and propellant components - gives its residents a unique perspective when it comes to the war in Iran.

The plant employs around 1,000 people and is just one of many sprawling industrial complexes standing out starkly from the lush Appalachian Mountain landscape.

"The plant's going to be open regardless of whether we're at war or whether we're not," says Daniel Overstreet, 53, standing next to his Harley Davidson in downtown Kingsport. "It is what it is."

He believes Trump and the administration are "doing a great job" but there are "too many people trying to fight him."

"[He said] he would get the gas prices under control, and they were for a while," says Overstreet. "He said he was gonna get food prices down, but he has no control over that. The president is basically a puppet for Congress and the Senate.

"His hands are tied, to a certain extent."

It's not that people here don't complain about high gas and food prices, inflation and other economic woes - it's just they don't blame Trump for any of it.

"He's done good on some things; I think he needs to check his advisers and see on some things," says Robinson. "I think he's advised wrong on some things."

It was Trump himself, however, who announced his decision to strike Iran in February 2026 following failed negotiations. In an eight-minute video posted to social media, he said "the objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime" - and claimed Iran "will never have a nuclear weapon".

Evangelist William Bogle, 75, voted for Trump every time he ran and believes the president is "doing a good job" - even though his wife "has to stretch a grocery dollar until, you know, it's big as a bedsheet".

Trump is "just gonna have to do a little bit better in some things than he's doing right now," he says.

"I know he wants the country to prosper."

This stalwart support reflects a deeper truth sometimes hidden in the polling headlines. Although Trump has lost favour among more traditional Republicans and independent voters, his base - who self-identify with his "Make America Great Again" mantra - remains much more steadfast in backing him.

So while much of the US watches to see how much Trump's sliding popularity may damage Republicans in November's midterm elections, here in the Bible Belt, sometimes red is the only option.

As voters turned out last week for local elections, the ballot included a single Democratic candidate. Of the county commission's 11 districts, seven featured only Republicans running, with some unopposed.

Many say they can't and won't cross party lines for moral reasons, citing abortion as the single biggest deciding factor, with opposition to socialism and "woke" issues too hard for them to ignore.

Those fears outweigh any personal criticisms they may have, says David Carter, 66, a grandfather and Christian as well as a veteran.

Trump needs to humble himself more, he concedes, but Carter would only consider a candidate who "supports the morals" of the population. That means opposing abortion, for example.

Trump first entered politics when the women were in middle school, says her friend Emily Villalpando, 21. "So a lot of the people that we grew up with kind of just adopted their parents' views.

"And so now that we're growing up, we're having more responsibilities," says Villalpando, who's studying biomedical science and wants to be a doctor. "The economy affects us a lot more."

The three college students - their friend Caden Bayless makes up the trio - cite women's rights and heavy-handed immigration agents as major concerns, but they are sceptical of major attitude or voting shifts in the region.

Bayless said she is hopeful the younger generation can make a change, but "given where we live … it would be a very difficult change."

Bogle, summing up the Kingsport region, inadvertently speaks to their fears.

"We live in a great place, and if you're not conservative, don't come here," the preacher says. "Because you wouldn't be a good fit. But if you're conservative, come here, and we'll embrace you."

He'll be praying for Trump, he says, as will the more moderate Robinson.

"All you can do is pray for your leaders, and God will give you what you want in the end," she says.