President Joe Biden got off to a slow start in the debates, but swing voters were overwhelmed by Donald Trump.
David Plouffe provides some insight into how focus groups investigated Trump’s debate performance:
If you’re a Democrat, all you can do is ask yourself what can I do, which is, yes, we missed an opportunity tonight, an important opportunity, but this is still a close race that you’re competing against Donald Trump Contest. Again, I think that’s going to happen. But, you know, I’ve talked to people who are doing dial groups and focus groups with swing voters, and while they’re worried about Biden’s performance, they, uh you know, they’re not, no one’s worried. ·Trump is very excited to return to the presidency. He, he reiterated all the reasons why they voted against him in 2020.
video:
David Plouffe says Trump’s debate performance underwhelmed among swing voters in focus groups, ‘No one is saying I’m super excited to have Donald Trump back’
to the presidency. He reconfirmed all the reasons they voted against him in 2020. pic.twitter.com/ec94g9yCFC— Sarah Rhys-Jones (@PoliticusSarah) June 28, 2024
A missed opportunity for Democrats is a good way to look at this debate. Trump initially tried to stay awake but disappeared after about 20 minutes, and by the end of the debate, he was talking incoherently about dementia tests and golf.
Biden, on the other hand, started out poorly, but things improved for the president around the same time Trump began to slip.
Trump doubled down on his efforts to appeal only to Republicans, but his tactics went down poorly in focus groups. Donald Trump bombed the debate. Republicans and his supporters may be excited, but all he does for swing voters is remind them why they voted him out four years ago.
The overall takeaway from this debate is that it probably won’t change much, but there’s a gap between Biden and the swing voters Trump has alienated.
