Ever since his son died of a heroin overdose in 2014, Kraig Moss sleeps on the floor next to his son's urn.
Photos are taped on the white walls of the living room as trinkets lay around a makeshift memorial — a chair Rob J.R. Moss used to rock in as a toddler. High school yearbooks and a 2008 graduation tassel are laid out on the floor's tan boards.
Kraig's pain is still great three years since he found his son dead in their Owego home. He still spends many nights in his sleeping bag, talking to his son and sharing his heartache.
The death of 24-year-old Rob has left Kraig raw at times, so it wasn't exactly a surprise when, in 2016, the Owego man latched on to then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who campaigned on promises to "Make America Great Again" and to provide better access to health treatments for not only addicts, but veterans.
Reinforcing Kraig's choice of presidential candidate were Trump's views on border protection, slowing down the infiltration of drugs and keeping money in America.
But recent news has left Moss' support of Trump wavering a bit and has left the formerly ardent supporter conflicted.
Moss' dedication to the Trump candidacy showed in the form of his attending 45 rallies across the nation in 2016 and spending several days at the Republican National Convention playing his guitar and spreading the message of how great a president Trump would make. With his presence everywhere came national media attention.
Moss even sold his possessions to financially sustain him as he traveled.
Touting his guitar with Trump stickers and wearing his cowboy hat, Moss became the subject of many photographs, videos and interviews across dozens of media outlets. He'd even been dubbed the Trump Troubadour and the Singing Cowboy for his original songs, which include the "Trump Train" tune.
After all, if Trump could deliver on his promises, maybe more lives could be saved. Maybe his son's life would have been saved if Rob had adequate access to addiction treatment resources. ... Kraig has made many appearances nationally and internationally because of his outcry of Trump's broken promises — specifically Trump's push for the American Health Care Act, which would have eliminated the Affordable Care Act's requirement for Medicaid to cover basic mental heath and addiction services.
An estimated 1.3 million Americans would have been affected, reports show, if the AHCA had been passed. However, the bill was withdrawn on March 24 for failing to gain support.
Moss hasn't jumped ship and still supports Trump as president out of respect, but he treads lightly on believing any more of his promises.
"When (Trump) turned his head on the heroin addicts ... I had to speak up," Kraig said.
"I'm concerned that, because he told everybody what he was going to do in regards to the heroin epidemic and the health care plan, that was supposed to be coming through, but yet he made a statement along the lines of 'Who would've known this health care stuff would have been so complicated,'" Kraig explained. "Now, when he addresses veterans and business acts, there's so many things that may be hidden that he wasn't aware of."
Trump has previously said during his campaign: "We will help all of those people so seriously addicted, we will get them treatment." During a January 2016 rally in Iowa, Trump spoke specifically to Moss in a crowd, saying, "I know what you went through, you're a great father — I can see it — and your son is proud of you."