The controversies swirling around the Trump administration have been constant and fast-moving in the past 44 days, but the turbid waters have not swept away his supporters.

From the halls of Congress to the rustic Virginia streets where George Washington first campaigned for office over two and a half centuries ago, Republicans are still willing to give their new president a chance.

Since Donald Trump took the oath of office and warned of “American carnage” on a drizzly January day, his White House has careened from scandals over contacts with Russia to massive outcry over the botched roll out of its travel ban but supporters in the historic town of Winchester, Virginia this week remain unfazed.

Standing on streets scarred by civil war battles and within view of the site of the courthouse where George Washington won his first election by plying voters with alcohol in 1758, conservatives in the town were confident in Trump’s performance so far. To be fair though, they weren’t all paying attention.

Cindy Grove, a Winchester resident who worked in a real estate agency in town, said “I don’t listen to the news.” She thought Trump was doing a good job because “so far, I haven’t heard of anything horrible”. A registered independent, she said she voted for Trump “because he says the things out loud that I say to myself”. Grove added: “They say government is big business, and he’s a businessman, and ought to know how to take care of things.”

Others just simply thought Trump, who has been in office now for six full weeks, simply needed to be given some slack.

William Brinklow, an unshaven man on disability, had “no concerns” about Trump. A registered Republican who had voted for the president, Brinklow was confident that Trump is “going to do a good job once he gets started”.

David Russell, the self-proclaimed ambassador of Old Town, the historic commercial district in the center of Winchester, said of Trump “he’s doing good so far”. Russell thought that Trump is “doing exactly what he says he’s going to do”. Dressed in a brown sweater and worn Washington Nationals baseball cap, Russell said he voted for Republicans “most of the time”. He added while he tries to vote for “the best candidate … it seems most of the time the Republican has been the qualified candidate”. However, Russell would only grade Trump as getting a B for so far for his presidency. “B would be good,” he said. “He chose good people on his cabinet and most of the business people down here feel good for that.”

Separated from Winchester by over 70 miles and the Blue Ridge Mountains, Republicans in the Capitol seemed almost perfectly in tune with their voters. Congressman Chris Collins, an early Trump endorser from upstate New York, rated the new president as “a 10 out of 10, no two ways about it”. Collins particularly praised Trump’s joint address to Congress as “a remarkable speech … prepared and executed brilliantly”. He added his hope that it’s “a great sign of things to come”.

Trent Franks of Arizona, an arch-conservative who had long been skeptical of Trump during the primary, described himself as “really blissfully surprised and encouraged at the direction that he is taking the country”. The Freedom Caucus member expressed his hope that Trump continues to move in the same direction and noted “every time I see him make a change, it seems like it is in an even better direction, and I say that in a very complimentary way”.

However, some elected representatives were able to keep some level of detachment. California Republican Darrell Issa, who originally supported Marco Rubio in the primary, but served as a Trump delegate at the convention in Cleveland, smiled when asked how the president was doing so far. “Well-honed machine, whatever the term, finely tuned,” Issa said with a smile, referencing Trump’s comments that this administration was functioning like a “finely tuned machine”. Speaking the day after Trump’s joint address to Congress, Issa made clear to reporters, “Remember, I smiled on that one.”

Darrell Issa. Photograph: Olamikan Gbemiga/AP

Issa went on to argue that Trump was doing well under the circumstances with an administration still missing many key appointees. “When he has a full White House and full cabinet and subcabinet I expect more,” said Issa. “Right now he deserves credit for keeping the promises he can keep or at least attempting to in the first 30 days.”

The question, though, is what Trump can do once he has more time? Not only is the incessant drip of revelations about his campaign’s ties to Russia causing damage, but the lack of clear progress on key issues like Obamacare and tax reform on Capitol Hill is also unsettling some in the party. As Collins told the Guardian, Trump must make the case and drive the agenda: “We need the bully pulpit and we need the president.” But, as much as presidential leadership is needed, it is clear both Republican politicians and voters are ready and willing to give Trump time to provide it.