What qualities make an effective president? What qualities make an
effective president?
Nate, 39, Ariz., ind.
to listen.”
Jeff, 54, N.C., Rep.
Bekki, 39, Wis., ind.
If we’ve seen an enduring trend from the Republican presidential primaries this winter, it’s that a sizable fraction of G.O.P. voters don’t want Donald Trump as their nominee again. Why is that? And what do these people — who made up 20 to 30 percent of primary voters in some states — think of the Republican Party and the issues facing the country?
For our latest Times Opinion focus group, we gathered 10 independents and Republicans who voted for Mr. Trump in 2016 and 2020 but who aren’t supporting him this time around to explore when he lost them.
What’s clear is that Mr. Trump is no longer the outsider voice that resonated with these voters in 2016. Some said that role has been taken on by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. They are responding pretty viscerally to things he has said and to his antiestablishment, beholden-to-nobody image. Indeed, a major takeaway from the focus group is that the Kennedy factor in this election should be taken pretty seriously in the swing states where he’s likely to make the ballot this fall.
For several in the group, the Republican Party has become MAGA nation, and it’s too hard line and hard right — and, some said, hateful — to be a political home for them. As for losing faith in Mr. Trump, some of the voters described how his taking top-secret documents to Mar-a-Lago was a turning point for them, and others mentioned the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Still, their concerns about him do not necessarily make Mr. Biden or Democrats look better by comparison. For all but one of these voters, Mr. Trump’s shortcomings do not translate into increased support for Mr. Biden at this point.
But could Mr. Biden win some of them over, especially those whose top issue in this election is protecting and defending democracy? We put that question to these lapsed Trump voters, and the scale of Mr. Biden’s challenge was clear in their answers.
Participants
Bekki 39, Wisconsin, independent, mixed race, auto repair manager
Nate 39, Arizona, independent, white, independent contractor
Nino 27, Michigan, independent, white, software engineer
Christi 52, Nevada, Republican, white, real estate agent
Reggie 46, Pennsylvania, independent, Black, day-care administrator
Andrew 26, Pennsylvania, independent, white, insurance underwriter
Jeff 54, North Carolina, Republican, white, retired
Chris 50, Michigan, independent, white, educator
James 54, Georgia, independent, white, unemployed
Jamie 44, Nevada, independent, white, nanny
Transcript
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
What is going well in America these days?
James, 54, Georgia, independent, white, unemployed
If you got money saved up, you’re getting rich with the interest rates being higher than normal.
Reggie, 46, Pennsylvania, independent, Black, day-care administrator
People are looking out for each other more these days. During a certain administration, people were more sort of against one another.
Andrew, 26, Pennsylvania, independent, white, insurance underwriter
Work-life balance is going well. Post-Covid and being able to work remote, that’s kind of helped work-life balance for people.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
What’s not going so well?
Nate, 39, Arizona, independent, white, independent contractor
Inflation, the high cost of living, cost of food, gas prices. Everything is up, you know?
Jeff, 54, North Carolina, Republican, white, retired
Our economic outlook overall, you know? But over the last probably 10 administrations, our national deficit has just continually…
This article was originally published by a www.nytimes.com . Read the Original article here. .