Comment | US Economy, Southern Border, October 7: 13 How Biden and Trump Voters See 2023

Something strange happened during our latest Times Opinion focus group, the 18th and final panel of 2023. When we asked the participants (13 Democrats, Republicans, and independents) how they felt about the economy, we heard no similar complaints. Our other groups blended in very smoothly throughout the year. Our participants weren't happy by any means, but many were upbeat, and even the Trump voters in the group weren't upset about the economy — causing our focus group moderator, Frank Lundz, to look a little surprised and say, “Well, it's not that bad. In fact, it is very good.

The purpose of this focus group was to bring together people who voted for Joe Biden or Donald Trump in 2020 and explore the areas they agreed or disagreed with about the year we've had. The usual partisan divides broke down in a few areas: along with seeing some headwinds in the economy, many among Biden and Trump voters continued to help Ukraine, worry about the U.S. border with Mexico, and Mr. expressed concern about Biden's will. Don't run for re-election. Israel and Gaza and Mr. The group is deeply divided over Trump's cases.

We asked participants what they would say if they were listening to Mr. Biden. Angela, a 56-year-old black woman from California who supported him in 2020, said, “Thank you for your years of service in politics. go home Enjoy your wife. Enjoy your life. „Last time Mr. „You've got to let somebody else in. He's not going to run well at this point,” said Sean, a 39-year-old white man from Georgia who voted for Biden.

Mr. When we asked what they would say to Trump, Betsy, a 42-year-old white woman from Colorado who supported him in 2020, said, “Please take a bow. You are the best voting machine for the Democratic Party.” At the same time, more Trump and Biden voters at this point said they thought Mr Trump would win in November than participants who thought Mr Biden would win.

And asked what they thought the country would look like and look like in 2030, there was a mix of optimism and pessimism, but the responses didn't necessarily break down along partisan lines. The biggest concern of all is not about the country's politics, but about the health of our culture and the values ​​of younger Americans.