A focus group of undecided voters Sentencing of Former President Trump The landmark ruling last week sparked mixed reactions, with many saying it would not be a deciding factor in the verdict in November.
a transcription The New York Times writes that the focus group released on Tuesday includes 11 swing voters, all of whom have previously supported Trump and either President Biden or Hillary Clinton at least once during 2016, 2020 and 2024.
Undecided voters were asked to discuss the impact of Trump’s conviction in the New York trial and how it would affect their likelihood to vote for him. Some respondents said they were still “dissatisfied” following the verdict in the New York v. Trump record falsification trial, which made Trump the first former president to be convicted of a crime.
President Biden and Donald Trump are facing off for the second consecutive election. (Left: Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images, Right: (Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images))
Others said the ruling influenced their decision in November. However, for many of them it was not the deciding factor.
“He said inflation, the economy, immigration and abortion were the things that would ultimately determine his vote,” the Times wrote.
James, 53, of Iowa, commented, “They’ve been after Trump since he was elected in 2016. Democracy is supposed to be about the will of the people. I don’t think the majority of people in this country actually want him to be prosecuted on these charges.”
He later questioned whether the jury had made the right decision in convicting Trump.
When other participants expressed their hesitation to vote for a convicted felon, Jonathan, 37, of Florida, interjected, “You have to remember why Trump is the choice of millions of people. Trump is a shock to the system. His supporters don’t hold him to the same moral standards. He’s an antihero, a Soprano, a ‘Breaking Bad,’ who does bad things, who’s a bad guy but he does it on behalf of the people he represents.”
“He’s an antihero, a Soprano, a ‘Breaking Bad,’ a guy who does bad things … but he does it on behalf of the people he represents.”
Hillary, a 55-year-old social worker from California who voted for Trump in 2016, said she refuses to vote for a convicted felon, but she’s not enthusiastic about voting for Biden either. Others in the group shared her dilemma.
“Despite my absolute concerns about mental health and my policy disagreements with Joe Biden, I can’t imagine voting for Donald Trump,” she told The New York Times.
Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower on Thursday, May 30, 2024, after being found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. (Felipe Ramales for Fox News Digital)
“I can imagine I’m going to vote for Biden and then I’m going to need to drink a lot of alcohol,” she said.
Frank, 65, of Arizona, responded, “The more I watch Trump deal with this problem, the less I trust him. A president should be one step away from just being a good human being. And I have a problem with his integrity and morality. I’m probably leaning toward Biden. And I don’t like Biden. I don’t like him … he has no morals.”
Jonathan later reiterated his use of the Soprano metaphor in defense of the former president to The New York Times.
“I can imagine I’m going to vote for Biden and then I’m going to need to drink a lot of alcohol.”
“Trump is not a moral compass for many of his supporters. He’s the bad guy who will work on our behalf. He’s Tony Soprano or Walter White … he’s an antihero.”
The group appeared more closely aligned when asked about the state of American democracy in light of the verdict.
“It’s a dangerous road,” said George, 52, a California native.
“This is just outright chaos,” responded Logan, a 31-year-old Oklahoma attorney.
387931 02 : James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano and Edie Falco as Carmela Soprano seek counseling in HBO’s hit television series, “The Sopranos” (Season 3). (Photo by HBO) (Getty Images)
When voters were asked if they had made up their minds, many of them were still unsure about lending their support to a particular candidate.
Jonathan, who repeatedly defended the former president during the focus group, said for him it was a matter of the economy.
Biden mocks idea he’s ‘pulling strings’ in Trump’s prosecution: ‘I didn’t know I was that powerful’
He said, “As an independent, my No. 1 factor is economics. Full disclosure: Under Biden, I make more money. But under Trump, my money was worth more. And so I’m undecided. I don’t know who’s the better side of the coin. Right now, I’m waiting to see who Trump picks as his vice president.”
Clinton said she “can’t imagine voting for Trump. Obviously, (Independent Robert F.) Kennedy (Jr.) doesn’t mean anything to me. Biden’s — oof. Oof. I love it,” she said.
John, 58, from Pennsylvania, said Trump’s decision has distanced him from President Biden.
“Well, I would say after today Biden’s name is out of the conversation,” he said. “I think Biden strikes me as very weak and unlikable. I can imagine a scenario where a lot of the undecideds who probably wouldn’t pull the lever for Trump might go to Robert Kennedy Jr.”
John said, “I was very critical of Trump in 2019 and that was the reason he was impeached the first time when he was trying to harass Biden politically. I thought that was a mistake. In 2020 he lost my vote on that matter. But I don’t know. I think Joe Biden was above that.”
George agreed.
“Biden has dirty hands in this case. He’s a very weak candidate right now, so he needs to make Trump look even weaker,” he said.
“It seems like this decision will get people excited about Trump. Maybe if they were indifferent or unsure … it will kind of light a fire in them.”
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Despite leaning toward Biden during the debate, Shantel, a 33-year-old from California, said she predicts a Trump win in November.
She said, “I think as time goes on, I’m seeing more and more people leaning toward Trump these days. It seems like this decision will get people excited about Trump. Maybe if they were indifferent or unsure, maybe this will kind of light a fire in them.”
