During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised to bring water to California’s drought-stricken Central Valley. He promised to revitalize coal mining in West Virginia. He promised to revive manufacturing jobs in Erie, Pennsylvania.

 

Now, Trump supporters in those three communities are counting on him to follow through on his economic promises.

 

Hear the personal stories of people living in these economically hard-hit regions in “Betting on Trump,” a series of three digital shorts and related reporting from FRONTLINE, Marketplace and PBS NewsHour as part of our "How the Deck Is Stacked" project:

 

• In "Betting on Trump: Coal," travel to West Virginia, where nearly 70 percent of the vote went to Trump, coal mining is a way of life, and more than 12,000 mining jobs have disappeared over the last few years. You'll meet Dave, a retired coal miner now getting black lung treatment through Obamacare, and Dakota, a 20-year-old coal miner with two young children who was laid off, and hopes Trump's win means he'll be able to get back to work. Plus: With demand for coal continuing to decline, read about why for Trump, moving beyond campaign rhetoric and delivering on the promise to bring back mining will be a challenge.

• In "Betting on Trump: Water," journey to California's Central Valley, where many jobs are tied to farming, environmental regulations are largely seen as a cause of the region's water woes, and where most counties voted red in an otherwise blue state. You'll meet Joel, a farmer who backed Trump because he promised to increase the region's water supply: "I don't want to be the generation that loses the farm," Joel says. Plus: Why scientists say farmers need to adjust to a world where water will continue to be scarce — regardless of regulation.

• In "Betting on Trump: Jobs," meet Joe, a small business owner in Erie, Pennsylvania, one of three historically Democratic counties in Pennsylvania that flipped in the last election -- helping Donald Trump win the battleground state. Manufacturing jobs have been declining there since the mid-1970s, and Joe voted for Trump because he wants to "see Erie the way it used to be. We've gotta get our manufacturing back." Plus: Read about why labor-intensive manufacturing is rapidly disappearing from communities like Erie, and why economists say traditional factory jobs are not coming back.

We hope you'll watch these three portraits of communities that are "Betting on Trump," read our related reporting, and let us know what you think.

-  Patrice Taddonio
Assistant Director of Audience Development, FRONTLINE