Focus group: Trump and Biden pardons go down badly with swing voters
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Every voter in our latest Engagious/Sago swing-voter focus groups said both President Trump and former President Biden went too far with their presidential pardons — and that future presidents should be reined in.
Why it matters: Trump's pardons of roughly 1,500 defendants charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, and commutations of 14 defendants' sentences, is testing the faith of voters who took a chance on him to offset the pain of inflation or better secure the border.
- Biden's pardons, meanwhile, further diminished his legacy with some former supporters.
The pardons backlash was a top takeaway from our first swing-voter focus groups on governance in the Trump 2.0 era.
- 10 of the 12 Georgia voters who participated in the sessions opposed all of Trump's pardons. Two opposed just his pardons of defendants who committed violent crimes.
- All 12 said they would support a theoretical constitutional amendment to curb presidential pardon power.
How it works: The two online sessions conducted Jan. 21 included women and men from Georgia who backed Trump in November after voting for Biden in 2020. Panelists included seven independents, four Republicans and one Democrat.
- While a focus group is not a statistically significant sample like a poll, the responses show how some voters are thinking and talking about current events.
What they're saying: "If you did the crime, you need to do the time," said respondent Chris F., 40.
- "I think it's setting a bad example that people can do all this criminal activity and get away with it," said Leah A., 41.
- "Forgiving the one who committed such a crime because they supported you back then is not a right choice," said Nive P., 39.
The swing voters also disapproved of Biden's decision to pardon members of his family on Monday in the final moments of his presidency. One questioned why a president should have that power when other citizens don't. Another said Trump couldn't be expected to resist his pardon flex given Biden's actions.
- Biden "hasn't really done much for the American people," Gretchen S., 49, said, adding, "Then just, well, 'Let me take care of my family and my friends on the way out because there's nothing else for me here.'"
- Biden on his last day in office also pardoned former NIAID Director Anthony Fauci, members of the House Jan. 6 committee and retired U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley.
Rich Thau, president of Engagious, who moderated the focus groups, said that "considering how emphatically Georgia swing voters disapproved of Trump's and Biden's Inauguration Day pardons, there's a chance 'pardon reform' could be an issue in 2028 if a candidate embraces it."
Between the lines: Democrats and Republicans each tried to paint the other party leader's pardons as presidential overreach. But these Georgia voters saw little distinction between the pardon actions.
What we're watching: The participants, most of whom said they voted for Trump this time around because of economic issues, said they hope that will be his focus now that he's back in power.
- "The best thing that Trump could do for us this year is make our economy stronger," said Jimmy P., 47.
- "The worst thing President Trump can do this year would be a continuation of disrespecting the people of America like he did before," said Chris F.
Go deeper: Behind the Curtain: The new judge and jury
