A focus group of undecided voters following former President Trump’s conviction last week revealed mixed reactions to the historic verdict, with many saying it wouldn’t be a decision factor in their November decision.
A transcription of the focus group released Tuesday features 11 swing voters, all of whom have previously supported Trump and President Biden or Hillary Clinton at least once during 2016, 2020 and 2024, The New York Times writes.
The undecided voters were asked to discuss the impact of Trump’s guilty verdict in his New York trial and how it will affect their likelihood to vote for him. Some respondents said they were still “torn” after the verdict in the New York v. Trump records falsification trial, which made Trump the first-ever former president to be convicted of a crime.
Others said the verdict did sway their decision come November. However, it wasn’t a decision factor for many of them.
“Inflation, the economy, immigration and abortion were the things that they said would ultimately determine their votes,” the Times notes.
James, a 53-year-old from Iowa, commented, “They’ve been going after Trump since he was elected in 2016. Democracy is supposed to be about the will of the people. I don’t really think the majority of the people in this country wanted to see him prosecuted on these charges.”
He later questioned whether the jury made the right decision in convicting Trump.
When other participants expressed their hesitancy to vote for a convicted felon, Jonathan, a 37-year-old from Florida, interjected, “You have to remember why Trump is the choice of millions of people. Trump represents a shock to the system. His supporters don’t hold him to the same ethical standards. He’s the antihero, the Soprano, the ‘Breaking Bad,’ the guy who does bad things, who is a bad guy but does them on behalf of the people he represents.”
Hilary, 55, a social worker from California who voted for Trump in 2016, said that while she refused to vote for a convicted felon, she was less enthusiastic about casting a vote for Biden. Her dilemma appears to be shared by others in the group as well.
“Despite my absolute concerns about the mental fitness and policy dissents that I have with Joe Biden, I cannot envision casting a vote for Donald Trump,” she told the outlet.
She added, “I can envision casting a vote for Biden and then using a very stiff drink.”
Frank, a 65-year-old from Arizona, replied, “The more I see Trump dealing with this, the less confident I am in him. A president’s got to be a step apart from just a good person. And I have a problem with his integrity and ethics. I’m swinging toward probably Biden. And I don’t like him… got no ethics, either.”Jonathan later doubled down on his “Sopranos” metaphor in defense of the former president to the Times.
“Trump is not a moral compass to a lot of his supporters. He’s the bad guy that’ll do things on our behalf. He’s the Tony Soprano or the Walter White … he’s an antihero,” he said.
The group was more closely aligned when asked about the state of American democracy in light of the verdict.
