Focus group: Wisconsin swing voters stick with Trump
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President Trump leaves the White House on Thursday. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Wisconsin swing voters who switched from former President Biden to President Trump in our latest Engagious/Sago focus groups are mostly standing by Trump despite reservations.
Why it matters: The speed and scale of Trump's tariffs aren't sitting well even with some who agree with the idea of tariffs. Some said they don't like Trump's treatment of neighboring ally Canada, his incivility and bullying, or his ambiguity about whether he'll abide by court rulings.
- But that's mostly outweighed by their faith that Trump's moves will eventually boost jobs, pay and fairness for American workers — even if it means paying more now.
- They also blame Biden and other politicians more than Trump for the current situation.
The big picture: Nine of the 12 participants said they approve overall of Trump's actions since taking office. None of the 12 said they would pick Kamala Harris if they could get a do-over.
- "These Wisconsin swing voters view Trump transactionally," said Engagious president Rich Thau, who moderated the focus groups."They tolerate the parts of him they don't like so they can get the parts they do like."
How it works: Axios observed two Engagious/Sago online focus groups Tuesday night comprised of 12 Wisconsinites, all of whom said they voted for Biden in 2020, then Trump in 2024. Ten are independents and two are Republicans.
- 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: "I feel like both parties knew this needed to be done for a long time," said Lance Y., 54. "It was just a matter of which party was going to have the balls to go out and do it, and then the other party was going to complain about it. So Trump finally had the balls to say, 'Listen, we got to do this, we know it's going to hurt,' and now the other party's complaining."
- Alyson T., 47, said, "I'm OK with the tariffs," but Trump is "hitting it so hard. I'm a small business owner, so it's creating a lot of anxiety with people's spending right now that we're seeing. It's hitting really hard just because people are unsure."
Zoom in: Trump's recent comment that sacrifice might mean children only get two dolls instead of 30 rubbed participants wrong.
- "It reminds me of Marie Antoinette," said Chris O., 49. "It's a little bit like 'let them eat cake' ... it just seemed like a disconnect with the average American person."
- "He was trivializing what is actually happening," said Kelly K., 45. "We're not concerned about an extra toy for our children. The children are not upset about that. We're concerned about having food and being able to afford groceries or getting enough hours at work that our employer can give us."
What we're watching: Focus group participants said Trump must respect the courts, especially the Supreme Court, and clearly opposed deporting U.S. citizens without due process.
- But they were less sure about how due process applies, or what proof or appeal the administration should have to provide before deportation, if the government claims a person lacks status to remain in the U.S.
- Only four of the 12 felt Trump needs to engage the government of El Salvador to return Kilmar Armando Ábrego García to the U.S. to be properly adjudicated. The U.S. erroneously sent Ábrego García to a prison in his home country despite a judge's ruling that he could not be deported to El Salvador because his life would be in danger.
- Ruben R., 46, said while the U.S. administration had acted in error and Abrego Garcia should have had due process, "It's too late now," and shrugged it off, saying that from "what I heard, El Salvador crime is really low, so he should be safe now."
