On Thursday night, President Trump participated in a Fox News town hall in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the city that Joe Biden frequently boasts about as his hometown. Pennsylvania, of course, was one of the pivotal states that, unexpectedly, gave the majority of its votes to Trump in the 2016 election.

During the town hall, one of the people who got the microphone was David Hines, the Director of Operations for the City of Pittston. Martha MacCallum described Hines as a “lifelong Democrat who crossed over and voted for Trump in 2016.”

David asked a substantive question about controlling the EPA’s excessive and punitive environmental regulations:

Everyone supports protecting the environment, but the EPA seems too focused on complex regulations, fines, fees, and lawsuits. What can you do to lead the EPA to focus more on proactive compliance instead of punitive enforcement to protect the environment?

Trump’s answer, boiled down to its essentials, was that he’s been cutting regulations at an unprecedented rate, all the while ensuring that the environment remains unharmed. As he charmingly said, “I want to have the cleanest air on the planet. I want to have the most crystal-clear, beautiful water on the planet.”

This dialogue was interesting, but nothing that would strike fear into the Democrats’ hearts. However, what is the Democrats’ worst nightmare showed up after that.

Martha MacCallum asked Hines a follow-up question:

You are really the typical voter. I think you’re a lifelong Democrat who crossed over and voted for President Trump in 2016 in areas like we are in right now, in Luzerne and Lackawanna County. So, you know, obviously, now Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders, whoever it is, is going to try to get your vote back. So, I’m just, I’m curious, is there anything that, or any issue that they could answer for you that would change your mind, do you think?

Without a second’s thought, Hines said that he was going to vote for Trump again:

Hines: I’m focused on the economy and on regulation and deregulation, and I like what’s happened in the country in the last four years –

Trump: Thank you. Thank you.

Hines: -- and am thankful for your efforts, Sir, and I hope we can continue.

Thank you David, a lifelong Democrat from Pennsylvania. We will continue MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN and then, KEEP AMERICA GREAT!!!!pic.twitter.com/hvVfB5cPrG

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 6, 2020

In 1992, when James Carville was masterminding Bill Clinton’s first run for the White House, he coined the short phrase, “The economy, stupid” (or, as it’s popularly known, “It’s the economy, stupid.”). Carville did not intend the message to go directly to the public. Instead, he was reminding campaign workers that the economy was one of the three messages they needed to keep at the forefront of their work. (The two other messages were about (a) a change from 12 years of Republican White House and (b) health care.)

Carville is a very bright man who inexplicably clings to the Democrat Party. He was right then about the overwhelming importance of the economy to American voters, and Trump is right now to understand that message, which is why he enacted policies that supercharge the economy and makes sure voters understand just what he’s done.

David Hines knows what Trump has done and appreciates how helpful it’s been to his work (and, presumably, to his personal life). He’s a Trump supporter now, and he’s not going back.

The Democrats, looking at two candidates who have promised to raise taxes and increase government control over the economy, must be shaking in their boots.