Will Trump Supporters Vote for Him Again in 2020

President Biden campaigns for California Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this month. David McNew/Getty Images hibernate explanation

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David McNew/Getty Images

President Biden campaigns for California Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this month.

David McNew/Getty Images

Many moderate Republicans switched allegiances in last year's election and backed Joe Biden considering they could not abide four more than years of Donald Trump.

These voters, who swung from backing Trump in 2016 to Biden in 2020, helped make the divergence for Biden in places where the margins were shut — often, the suburbs.

So today, well-nigh eight months into Biden's presidency, how practice these voters view him?

In a pair of virtual focus groups NPR observed terminal week, featuring more than a dozen such voters from cardinal states, a movie emerged of disappointment with Biden — only no regrets that they helped send Trump packing later one term.

Handling of Transitional islamic state of afghanistan hurt Biden's credibility

Let's start with the disappointment.

Polls show Biden'south public approving ratings have taken a hitting in recent months. The voters in these focus groups reflected that slide.

They were worried about the spread of the delta variant and how COVID-xix continues to hurt the economy. They were wary of Democrats' big spending plans on infrastructure and other programs, alarmed by the troubles they see along the Texas border, and were very disturbed past the cluttered U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

"What happened in Transitional islamic state of afghanistan, to me, was the worst matter that'south happened since Saigon." That reference to the 1975 U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam came from Paul, who lives in central Pennsylvania. (We agreed to identify focus grouping participants past offset name only.)

He didn't buy Biden's explanation that Trump set the exit in motility by committing to a withdrawal of troops in a deal with the Taliban last year.

"He didn't have to stick to the timeframe Trump ready," Paul asserted, "merely he kept sticking to it and sticking to it, and a lot of people died and a lot of people were left backside. So I think that was squarely on him."

Yet, perhaps unlike the pandemic and the economy, Afghanistan may fade from the news over time and, as such, may not touch on long-term impressions of Biden equally much.

And on the coronavirus, the focus group participants — all vaccinated — mostly gave Biden solid marks. It's articulate he benefits from comparisons to his predecessor on that.

"He's definitely been better than Trump on handling COVID," said Xaveria from the Atlanta surface area. But she also said the fact that the delta variant is creating such issues means yous still tin't feel really nifty most how the current administration is doing regarding the pandemic.

And then she added that at that place'due south just an overall unease that's troubling. "It'southward just kind of, similar, non really trusting what to expect," she said.

As for Biden, she said, "I only put him at, similar, the boilerplate. He hasn't done anything great. And outside of Afghanistan, zilch atrocious." Simply she was clearly hoping for better.

Not thrilled with Biden, but absolutely not missing Trump

These ii focus groups consisted of all Biden voters, but overwhelmingly they still consider themselves Republicans. They haven't yet left the party, fifty-fifty though they're disillusioned by Trump'due south ongoing presence and the control he withal holds.

In contrast to the majority of Republicans responding to polls, none of these voters falsely believes the 2020 ballot was stolen.

None said they regret their 2020 vote. And while they may exist disappointed in Biden, they admittedly dominion out voting for Trump if he runs for president again.

Former President Donald Trump waves to the oversupply at the end of a rally on Saturday in Perry, Ga. Sean Rayford/Getty Images hide explanation

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One-time President Donald Trump waves to the crowd at the end of a rally on Saturday in Perry, Ga.

Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Take Christine from the Philadelphia suburbs. Similar others in her focus group, she said she first voted for Trump because he was a businessman and not a politico.

Only she got far more she bargained for. She used edgeless language to draw the former president: "I felt like nosotros had this monster in office that was bipolar, upwards and downward, irrational, crazy thinking." She called Trump "kittenish," said that "crazy things came out of his mouth," and that he was "not good for the United States."

And later all of that, Christine confessed: "I didn't want to vote for Biden. And I'chiliad going to be honest with yous, I would accept voted for anybody but Trump."

Others in the grouping blamed Trump for inciting racial tensions, citing how he described participants in a white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Va., as "very fine people."

As for Trump's oft-stated claim that he would "drain the swamp" in Washington, D.C., focus group member Mike, who lives in Georgia, had this antiphon: "I think he made the swamp bigger."

"Information technology'due south like, where do we go?"

These swing voters readily say that their frustrations with both a Republican Party in Trump's grasp and with Biden get out them feeling a bit lost politically.

Georgia resident Xaveria asked a simple question: "It'southward similar, where do nosotros go?"

These voter discussions were function of a series of focus groups that have been organized by longtime political strategist Sarah Longwell, the publisher of The Bulwark website who herself is a Republican who's worked to defeat Trump.

She hears voters like Xaveria and Christine and says they reject Trump and GOP candidates trying to be "Trumpy" themselves. She says such voters are open to voting for Democrats, but the political party also needs to nominate more moderate candidates to make these voters feel welcome in that location.

These moderate-to-conservative voters "are very clear that they feel politically unmoored, politically homeless," Longwell said in an interview.

"I really view these voters every bit upwards for grabs in 2022 and 2024," she said. Simply Longwell says it matters who the candidates are and how the parties see themselves.

And Longwell says it makes such voters worth watching. Information technology as well makes them potentially pivotal. "Right now, people who are willing to change their vote from ane political party to another actually hold the keys to political power," she said.

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Source: https://www.npr.org/2021/09/30/1041252418/they-voted-for-trump-and-then-for-biden-heres-what-these-swing-voters-think-now

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