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Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Opinion | Biden’s Age, the Economy and Trump: 11 Skeptical Biden Voters Discuss - The New York Times

Opinion | Biden’s Age, the Economy and Trump: 11 Skeptical Biden Voters Discuss - The New York Times

If you had to describe Joe Biden as an animal,
what animal would you pick?

Opinion
America In Focus

How 11 Skeptical Biden Voters Feel About His Re-Election Bid

"Are Democrats and independents truly souring on President Biden’s re-election bid, as some recent polls suggest, or are they blowing off steam before coming home to back him in 2024? And why do so many of his past supporters, especially younger and nonwhite voters, seem shaky on him now, judging him to be a decent man with good policies but not the leader they want for four more years?

For our latest Times Opinion focus group, we wanted to dig into the ambivalence and skepticism about Mr. Biden and whether it was sufficiently strong to cause some voters to flip to a Republican or third-party candidate in 2024 (or to forgo casting a ballot entirely). We convened a cross-section of 11 Americans who voted for him in 2020 and may be leaning toward or against him but haven’t firmly decided for 2024.

We tried to get creative with some of our questions — “If you were to describe the state of America as a weather forecast, what would it be?” — along with probing how Mr. Biden aligned with what these voters want most. Perhaps the most surprising answers came when we asked the 11 if they saw Mr. Biden as a strong leader and as someone who shared their values.

If anything, this focus group underscored that Mr. Biden has vulnerabilities and that at least some Democrats and independents are open to other Democrats challenging him for the nomination. But therein lies a danger: If he is a relatively weak candidate for re-election in the eyes of his own party, a Democrat who challenges him could be blamed if he ends up a bruised, even weaker nominee who goes on to lose in the general election.

For now, many of these 11 voters seemed inclined to back him as the lesser of two evils — a phrase we heard time and again during the conversation. Donnia, a 62-year-old Black independent from Illinois, said of Mr. Biden, “I think he may be slow and a camel and a sloth and all of that, but I think that he would be the better option than Trump or DeSantis — the G.O.P., period.”

Patrick Healy, Kristen Soltis Anderson and Adrian J. Rivera

Mr. Healy is the deputy Opinion editor. Ms. Soltis Anderson is a pollster. Mr. Rivera is an editorial assistant in Opinion.

Participants

Chris 54, Pa., white, Democrat, teacher

Claudia 28, Fla., Latina, independent, credit portfolio manager

Donnia 62, Ill., Black, independent, not working

Jahnique 28, Del., Black, Democrat, loan processor

Ken 47, Fla., Latino, independent, software developer

Marquita 33, Fla., Black, Democrat, health care account manager

Max 30, N.H., white, independent, camera operator

Milan 39, N.H., Asian, independent, software developer

Nick 37, Iowa, white, independent, business manager

Sana 22, Ill., Asian, Democrat, not working

Vikranth 22, N.J., Asian, Democrat, medical scribe

Transcript

Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson

If you were giving the weather forecast for how things are going in America, what would you say?

Ken, 47, Fla., Latino, independent, software developer

Icy, stormy. I think we’re headed in the wrong direction.

Donnia, 62, Ill., Black, independent, not working

Cloudy with a chance of tick, tick, boom. I think there’s going to be an outer force of danger that is going to unite us, kind of like 9/11 did. The pendulum has to swing the other way.

Chris, 54, Pa., white, Democrat, teacher

My forecast is very cloudy with a chance of a heavy downpour and maybe a tornado.

Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson

What’s the tornado?

Chris, 54, Pa., white, Democrat, teacher

The rising prices of everything, from food to gas to oil.

Claudia, 28, Fla., Latina, independent, credit portfolio manager

Gloomy.

Vikranth, 22, N.J., Asian, Democrat, medical scribe

I would use the same descriptions that everyone else did. But even with things that caused a big uproar, like the court ruling around abortion, I feel like everything’s been pretty stagnant over the last four years.

Max, 30, N.H., white, independent, camera operator

Scattered showers. But I do feel like people have a tendency to think that everything is bad at a given time. History has been a lot worse. I think we’re due for some clear weather at some time soon.

Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson

Is there something making you feel optimistic or hopeful?

Jahnique, 28, Del., Black, Democrat, loan processor

Our parents and previous generations have a kind of a hush-hush attitude with conflicts within either the community or the country. But now we are able to speak on it and call things out and have an open dialogue.

Vikranth, 22, N.J., Asian, Democrat, medical scribe

I agree with Jahnique. Open dialogue has gotten a lot better. I’m also optimistic about artificial intelligence.

Nick, 37, Iowa, white, independent, business manager

If everybody’s being pushed so far left or right on all these issues, maybe there’ll start to be a resurgence of people in the middle and more of a common understanding.

Marquita, 33, Fla., Black, Democrat, health care account manager

Right, the level of the country’s consciousness has grown. We are more aware of how our actions and behaviors affect each other. That doesn’t mean we always make the right decisions, but if we have more people being more conscious about how we affect each other, that can inform our future decisions and behaviors. We now have a very clear picture of how we affect our environment, for example.

Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson

What is one word you would use to describe how you feel about the November 2024 presidential election?

Milan, 39, N.H., Asian, independent, software developer

Is “[EXPLETIVE] show” one word or two? How about “circus”?

Claudia, 28, Fla., Latina, independent, credit portfolio manager

Anxious.

Chris, 54, Pa., white, Democrat, teacher

Apprehensive.

Vikranth, 22, N.J., Asian, Democrat, medical scribe

“Scared,” I think.

Jahnique, 28, Del., Black, Democrat, loan processor

Unforgettable.

Sana, 22, Ill., Asian, Democrat, not working

Scary.

Ken, 47, Fla., Latino, independent, software developer

Eager.

Marquita, 33, Fla., Black, Democrat, health care account manager

Confused.

Max, 30, N.H., white, independent, camera operator

Geriatric.

Nick, 37, Iowa, white, independent, business manager

“South Park” episode.

Donnia, 62, Ill., Black, independent, not working

Defeated.

Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson

Chris, you said “apprehensive.”

Chris, 54, Pa., white, Democrat, teacher

Just not sure what to expect. Is Biden going to run again? He’s very old and showing signs of not being all there. Trump? I just have no idea why these guys in their mid- to late 70s would want to be president of the United States. Just go off and retire somewhere. I’m not even 55, and I can’t wait to retire. I don’t know what these guys are thinking.

Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson

Donnia, you said “defeated.”

Donnia, 62, Ill., Black, independent, not working

With the current candidates that we have, I don’t think that anyone is really interested in solving the problems of our country.

Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson

Milan, you said “circus.”

Milan, 39, N.H., Asian, independent, software developer

Democrats have decided that Joe Biden’s the only candidate. On the other side, they seem to be trying to one-up each other on every conservative issue possible. It’s insane between Trump and DeSantis. Even my own governor in New Hampshire, Sununu, who’s seemed relatively normal, is starting to pick up culture war issues. For what reason? He’s not going to ever have a chance.

Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson

Nick, what did you mean by “‘South Park’ episode”?

Nick, 37, Iowa, white, independent, business manager

Yeah, there was an episode in “South Park” from 2004 where there was a mock election and everybody ends up having to vote for the lesser of two evils. They’re voting just to keep someone else out. I hate that that becomes the scenario. I’ve committed to vote for a third party this coming election.

Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson

It is possible, even likely, that the 2024 election will be a rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. How would you feel about that?

Jahnique, 28, Del., Black, Democrat, loan processor

Like Nick said, it would basically be just choosing the lesser of two evils. I think that is a direct consequence of the two-party system. You have no choice. You can either vote for one or the other or you can not make your voice heard by picking a third party.

Marquita, 33, Fla., Black, Democrat, health care account manager

I think a rematch would cause a lot of people to disengage from the process altogether. You’ll have a lot of people questioning our democracy or democracy as a whole. There’s going to be a lot of people who, if we had good candidates, would go out and vote who, this time around, just don’t really care. No matter who wins, it’s going to feed into a lot of extremist views. It is going to add fuel to the flames or the fire of what we saw for the last eight years. Nobody is really satisfied. There’s a lot of discontent. And so I think that we’ll see that get worse under either of their presidencies.

Milan, 39, N.H., Asian, independent, software developer

I feel like all progressives, in general, have been left behind by the Democratic Party and definitely by the Republican Party. We just would like to see the country move forward and not be regressive on social values or have a side of corporatism. That’s all we have, it seems.

Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson

Some of you have mentioned a third party. What would make you consider voting for a third-party candidate? Is there anybody that you’ve seen out there who you think, “Gosh, if they ran third party, that would make me excited”?

Nick, 37, Iowa, white, independent, business manager

Someone that just ran with any sort of rational stance on these major issues, I would vote for.

Jahnique, 28, Del., Black, Democrat, loan processor

I’d only vote for a third party if I had assurances that there would be enough votes for that person to win. I’d be interested in someone younger. My top five issues are clean water, clean air, education, tolerance of other views and overall respect and tolerance for other people.

Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson

You are all in this group because you voted for Joe Biden in 2020. That does not mean that you love what he’s done or that you support him now. It just means you voted for him in 2020. So why did you vote for Joe Biden in the 2020 election?

Claudia, 28, Fla., Latina, independent, credit portfolio manager

It really was the lesser of two evils. It felt like the only thing I could do.

Ken, 47, Fla., Latino, independent, software developer

I just couldn’t stomach Trump.

Chris, 54, Pa., white, Democrat, teacher

I hate to say it, but pretty much the same reason.

Donnia, 62, Ill., Black, independent, not working

I didn’t vote for Biden. I voted against Trump.

Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson

This time, I want you to choose an animal that best describes Joe Biden. If you had to describe Joe Biden as an animal, what animal would you pick?

Vikranth, 22, N.J., Asian, Democrat, medical scribe

A snail.

Sana, 22, Ill., Asian, Democrat, not working

A sloth.

Claudia, 28, Fla., Latina, independent, credit portfolio manager

Dinosaur, just because he was trying to bring back old politics — not because of his age.

Milan, 39, N.H., Asian, independent, software developer

A meerkat. Anytime it’s nice out, his head’s up, and then as soon as something goes wrong, he’s just gone again.

Marquita, 33, Fla., Black, Democrat, health care account manager

An elephant, because they live very long and they have really strong memories.

Nick, 37, Iowa, white, independent, business manager

Goldfish, just because he doesn’t seem to have an attention span to focus on anything.

Donnia, 62, Ill., Black, independent, not working

A camel — the way he talks, I see the camel’s mouth moving.

Chris, 54, Pa., white, Democrat, teacher

I was going to say a dinosaur as well.

Ken, 47, Fla., Latino, independent, software developer

A turtle.

Jahnique, 28, Del., Black, Democrat, loan processor

A hippopotamus. A lot of them are very violent, and a lot of them are very dangerous. They have old ways of doing things that may not always be the best course of action, like how Biden is, and they can get dangerous if they deem it necessary

Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson

Sana, you said “sloth.”

Sana, 22, Ill., Asian, Democrat, not working

Because he’s slow, honestly. There’s been many times where he’s just forgotten things. He’s been caught so many times on camera with just mumbo jumbo coming out of his mouth.

Do you agree with the following statements?
Joe Biden has integrity.
Chris, 54, white, Dem., teacher
Jahnique, 28, Black, Dem., loan processor
Milan, 39, Asian, ind., software developer
Vikranth, 22, Asian, Dem., medical scribe
Joe Biden is intelligent.
Donnia, 62, Black, ind., not working
Jahnique, 28, Black, Dem., loan processor
Marquita, 33, Black, Dem., health care account manager
Milan, 39, Asian, ind., software developer
Joe Biden is a strong leader. No one raised their hand.
Joe Biden understands average Americans.
Claudia, 28, Latina, ind., credit portfolio manager
Ken, 47, Latino, ind., software developer
Sana, 22, Asian, Dem., not working
Vikranth, 22, Asian, Dem., medical scribe
Joe Biden shares my values. No one raised their hand.

Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson

Why don’t you think Joe Biden shares your values?

Claudia, 28, Fla., Latina, independent, credit portfolio manager

I just feel like politicians align with what most of the country believes. So really, I can’t be sure what any politician’s real, true values are.

Donnia, 62, Ill., Black, independent, not working

I think Biden is a corporate elitist-type person that camouflages himself as a regular guy.

Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson

Nobody here thought Joe Biden is a strong leader. Why?

Chris, 54, Pa., white, Democrat, teacher

I’ve just seen so many clips of him stumbling, physically and with his words. I think the pressure of the job and his age has just gotten to him at this point.

Vikranth, 22, N.J., Asian, Democrat, medical scribe

If Republicans and Democrats don’t agree on certain values, we can all agree that Barack Obama was a well-spoken individual. People rallied for him a lot because of the way he spoke. And I think that’s something that a leader needs and what a president needs. I don’t think Joe Biden can do that.

Moderator, Patrick Healy

How do you think Joe Biden has performed as president, relative to your expectations when we had the 2020 election?

Has he done better than you expected,
worse or about the same?
Better No one raised their hand.
About the same
Claudia, 28, Latina, ind., credit portfolio manager
Donnia, 62, Black, ind., not working
Jahnique, 28, Black, Dem., loan processor
Marquita, 33, Black, Dem., health care account manager
Max, 30, white, ind., camera operator
Milan, 39, Asian, ind., software developer
Sana, 22, Asian, Dem., not working
Vikranth, 22, Asian, Dem., medical scribe
Worse
Chris, 54, white, Dem., teacher
Ken, 47, Latino, ind., software developer
Nick, 37, white, ind., business manager

Milan, 39, N.H., Asian, independent, software developer

I honestly didn’t expect too much to get done. He did pass the Inflation Reduction Act. And then not a whole lot since, because it’s hard to get things done in the Senate, and then he lost the House.

Marquita, 33, Fla., Black, Democrat, health care account manager

Very similar to that, I didn’t have very high expectations for him. I knew that he was going to dampen some of the tension that was going on in the country. And I think that he has done that. I just didn’t want it to get worse, and I can’t say it’s worse than it was before.

Moderator, Patrick Healy

Is that necessarily enough to earn your vote the next time around?

Marquita, 33, Fla., Black, Democrat, health care account manager

No. That’s why I’m undecided. But if there’s a candidate that I think is going to make things worse, then maybe.

Nick, 37, Iowa, white, independent, business manager

One of the things I disliked about Trump was I felt he was an embarrassment for how he handled himself. And I hoped Biden would represent better. But now I feel embarrassed for how Biden represents our country to the rest of the world.

Ken, 47, Fla., Latino, independent, software developer

I expected Biden to be more of a leader, since he’s a career politician, to be able to reach more across the aisle and bring more people to his camp so that he would be able to accomplish more. I think that he’s failed in that regard.

Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson

When President Biden recently announced that he is going to run for re-election, did any of you have positive reactions to that?

Donnia, 62, Ill., Black, independent, not working

I think that that calms me a little bit, more than if Trump were to be president again. I’ll take four more years of Biden than to have what America stands for be taken away. I’ll take four more years of Biden in exchange for democracy continuing and the Constitution being our backbone.

Ken, 47, Fla., Latino, independent, software developer

I was hoping that he would not announce that he was running again. I was hoping for a new phase. But having said that, if it’s between him and Trump, I would vote for Joe Biden again.

Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson

President Biden also announced that Vice President Kamala Harris will be on his ticket as his running mate for 2024. How do you feel about his decision to run with Harris as his vice president again?

Milan, 39, N.H., Asian, independent, software developer

Who? I didn’t know he had a vice president.

Jahnique, 28, Del., Black, Democrat, loan processor

Vice presidents don’t really have official jobs. They’re just like presidents in waiting, essentially. So stick with what worked, I guess, is his approach. She’s an ornament, like just about all vice presidents are. She’s a nice ornament.

Marquita, 33, Fla., Black, Democrat, health care account manager

I think that it’s a smart move on his part. It legitimizes his campaign. He needs the female vote. He needs the people of color vote. I think that it’s the best thing for him to do to stand a chance at really winning. But I do wonder if part of why he is running again is to provide Kamala a nice pathway to the presidency. She would never win in an actual election. So just strategically speaking, it makes sense. But it doesn’t make me feel any more optimistic about the job that either of them will do, because the only things we’ve heard about Kamala during the presidency have been unfavorable.

Moderator, Patrick Healy

If you had to guess, just on the spot, how old is President Biden?

Donnia, 62, Ill., Black, independent, not working

80-something.

Vikranth, 22, N.J., Asian, Democrat, medical scribe

I would say 84?

Marquita, 33, Fla., Black, Democrat, health care account manager

I think he’s 79.

Sana, 22, Ill., Asian, Democrat, not working

78.

Ken, 47, Fla., Latino, independent, software developer

I think he’s 80? 82? I don’t know.

Claudia, 28, Fla., Latina, independent, credit portfolio manager

I thought he was 86.

Chris, 54, Pa., white, Democrat, teacher

I’d say about 79 — 79, sorry.

Nick, 37, Iowa, white, independent, business manager

80.

Milan, 39, N.H., Asian, independent, software developer

I’m going to go with 79 as well. I think it’s around there.

Jahnique, 28, Del., Black, Democrat, loan processor

I think he’s 81 this year, I think.

Moderator, Patrick Healy

He is 80. Does the number matter, or is it more the performance? How do you see the age point?

Claudia, 28, Fla., Latina, independent, credit portfolio manager

I feel like the older you get, the more stuck in your ways you are. He knows how it was years ago, whereas now he doesn’t really know what, I guess, the younger generation really cares about or really wants. And it doesn’t matter how many briefings he gets.

Sana, 22, Ill., Asian, Democrat, not working

I agree with Claudia. And going back to what Vik said previously — Biden was Obama’s vice president for eight years, and it’s almost like, “You didn’t learn a couple of things?”

Moderator, Patrick Healy

Does anyone feel the focus on age or maybe criticism that might be age related is unfair?

Vikranth, 22, N.J., Asian, Democrat, medical scribe

As humans, we can say, “Hey, if you make a mistake or two, it’s OK.” Everyone understands. But this is the presidency. This is the most powerful person in the country and what everyone around the world sees. After countless mistakes, you’re going to get criticism.

Do you think Joe Biden’s up to the task of being
president through the year 2028? 
0 people raised their hands.

Chris, 54, white, Dem., teacher

Claudia, 28, Latina, ind., credit portfolio manager

Donnia, 62, Black, ind., not working

Jahnique, 28, Black, Dem., loan processor

Ken, 47, Latino, ind., software developer

Marquita, 33, Black, Dem., health care account manager

Max, 30, white, ind., camera operator

Milan, 39, Asian, ind., software developer

Nick, 37, white, ind., business manager

Sana, 22, Asian, Dem., not working

Vikranth, 22, Asian, Dem., medical scribe

Ken, 47, Fla., Latino, independent, software developer

I don’t know what to think. I think that his age — he may not make it. I could be wrong.

Chris, 54, Pa., white, Democrat, teacher

All presidents are just a figurehead. And I don’t believe he’s running too much of the government right now. I believe everybody underneath him is giving him advice and running things, so to speak. But the guy is 80 years old. His cognitive decline has been pretty evident the last two years, that we’ve seen, and I just see it getting worse.

Moderator, Patrick Healy

Chris, none of us, I think, are medical doctors. What do you really mean by “cognitive decline”?

Chris, 54, Pa., white, Democrat, teacher

I’ve just seen the blank stare at times, when he’s either giving a speech or addressing a crowd. It seems like he loses his train of thought. And my own father is 84, and he’s got early-onset dementia. And you can tell him something five times within a span of half an hour, and he’ll keep asking you the same thing over and over again.

Claudia, 28, Fla., Latina, independent, credit portfolio manager

I’ve seen before and after pictures of a lot of presidents. The amount of white hair that Obama got, that multiple presidents get. You’re under so much stress, there’s no way that a person can handle that at such an older age.

Moderator, Patrick Healy

Some critics of President Biden say he’s too closely tied to activity connected to his son, Hunter Biden, who has been caught up in a variety of alleged controversies or real controversies. The supporters say that President Biden is right to love and support his son, as their family’s been through a lot and it isn’t fair to drag his son into attacks on him as president. Which side do you think you tend to agree with more when it comes to President Biden and Hunter Biden?

Jahnique, 28, Del., Black, Democrat, loan processor

You can raise your child right. But at the end of the day, they’re going to choose their own path. And obviously, there have been periods in his son’s life where he’s lost his way. And considering Hunter’s history — he’s the last remaining child between him and his first wife — it must have been a very, very traumatic time for him, and I’m guessing that plays a role in the choices that he’s made. I think that there have been periods where he has lost his way. And as far as his choices, those are his choices. If his father knew and was either advising or involved in that, then obviously, that should be investigated. But again, I think that Hunter Biden is a man who makes decisions. They’re not always the right decisions, but he makes his own decision and is his own man.

Marquita, 33, Fla., Black, Democrat, health care account manager

I have some shady family members, and I wouldn’t want to align myself with them if I was doing a job like this. On certain levels, being an enabler is just as damaging as being the person that’s actually doing it.

Donnia, 62, Ill., Black, independent, not working

Prosecuting your child is one thing, but Biden is holding the highest position in the country. And that means that if your son is guilty of things that could jeopardize his position, I would have to separate myself from my child in terms of what’s right and what’s wrong.

Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson

What are the things President Biden has done or the issues that he has handled that you have been the happiest about?

Nick, 37, Iowa, white, independent, business manager

Man, I’d have to think about this one for a little bit.

Sana, 22, Ill., Asian, Democrat, not working

I also need a second to think about it.

Marquita, 33, Fla., Black, Democrat, health care account manager

Student loan forgiveness is something that is going to benefit me and almost every adult that I know. And so I think that that’s a good hill to die on.

Milan, 39, N.H., Asian, independent, software developer

I was going to say student loan forgiveness as well. But my next one will be not backing down over the debt ceiling and gutting a lot of the social services and things for veterans out there that Republicans apparently want to cut.

Nick, 37, Iowa, white, independent, business manager

Infrastructure spending. I think we need a lot of that. I don’t think he did enough, but at least he did something.

Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson

What about the flip side of this question? What are some issues where maybe he hasn’t done a very good job, or what’s something that he has done that has frustrated you?

Jahnique, 28, Del., Black, Democrat, loan processor

Climate change. He sold us the dream about the whole climate change situation, and then he approved that project in Alaska for oil. He’s doing things to say that he’s followed through with this plan, but he’s not actually executing his promises, in my opinion.

Chris, 54, Pa., white, Democrat, teacher

I’d say two things. The first is probably giving too much money to the war in Ukraine. And the second thing is when the oil prices skyrocketed, I don’t think he opened up the reserves soon enough.

Max, 30, N.H., white, independent, camera operator

I wish that he was able to protect women’s health and abortion rights more. And I don’t know if that necessarily was his fault or if he could have done more.

Donnia, 62, Ill., Black, independent, not working

I’m disappointed about the border. I’m originally from Texas, and I’m not saying, “Build the wall.” That was ridiculous. But I do think that the border issue is something that is going to affect us, going forward. Here, in Illinois and Chicago, they’ve been busing a lot of immigrants — or refugees, I can call them, because they’re fleeing something — to this area. I don’t know that we’re getting any help, and it’s depleting a lot of our resources. So I think he needs to do more towards immigration issues.

Do you approve of how Joe Biden
has handled the economy? 
0 people raised their hands.

Chris, 54, white, Dem., teacher

Claudia, 28, Latina, ind., credit portfolio manager

Donnia, 62, Black, ind., not working

Jahnique, 28, Black, Dem., loan processor

Ken, 47, Latino, ind., software developer

Marquita, 33, Black, Dem., health care account manager

Max, 30, white, ind., camera operator

Milan, 39, Asian, ind., software developer

Nick, 37, white, ind., business manager

Sana, 22, Asian, Dem., not working

Vikranth, 22, Asian, Dem., medical scribe

Sana, 22, Ill., Asian, Democrat, not working

I know inflation is not his fault, but because he is the leader of the country, I wish he would do something.

Nick, 37, Iowa, white, independent, business manager

There’s not enough being done to help shoulder some of these increases. When you see these other companies posting record profits, that’s concerning to me. Continuing to line the pockets of the elite while everyone else is struggling is not OK.

Moderator, Patrick Healy

Let’s talk about the debt ceiling. A lot of us are spooked by the word “default.” And right now, House Republicans and President Biden are debating government spending and what to do about the debt, which has grown quite high. How much, if at all, do you care about these issues — the question of the debt and the debt ceiling and how the government spends its money?

Jahnique, 28, Del., Black, Democrat, loan processor

The whole staring contest is so elementary. We don’t want to default, because it’s going to be very embarrassing for the country and it would have a huge effect around the world. I believe that the debt ceiling is a single issue that needs to be addressed and not trying to tie it to other things. Government spending is a part of the budgetary or political calendar.

Chris, 54, Pa., white, Democrat, teacher

I think we all need to be fiscally responsible. If our government’s not going to be fiscally responsible and run up a huge debt and say, “Oh, it’s OK not to pay it off,” or fail to raise taxes to help pay it off, that’s obviously not a good thing. And the gridlock between the House and the Senate needs to stop. It can’t be all Biden. He needs some help, obviously.

Moderator, Patrick Healy

Everyone has been pretty tough in terms of how you see Biden, and maybe I’d go so far as to say down on Biden. But I do wonder, in the end, if you’re going to vote for him.

Ken, 47, Fla., Latino, independent, software developer

Yes, I would vote for him again.

Moderator, Patrick Healy

And you’d be voting for him or against the Republicans, do you think?

Ken, 47, Fla., Latino, independent, software developer

I would say both. Both are valid for me.

Max, 30, N.H., white, independent, camera operator

Yeah. I think that the people on the right are just so far right that — I don’t know. I feel like I’m just trying to vote for someone who’s more in the center, and that would be Biden, even though that’s not who I really want to vote for. But so, yes, I would, and I will do it, unfortunately.

Claudia, 28, Fla., Latina, independent, credit portfolio manager

I’d definitely be voting against Trump or DeSantis. So if those really are my choices, then, again, just the lesser of two evils.

Moderator, Patrick Healy

Claudia, is there a way Biden could become not the lesser of two evils but someone who you’d feel like, “OK, I’m going to vote for this guy and not just against the other guys”?

Claudia, 28, Fla., Latina, independent, credit portfolio manager

I don’t think so, at this point, because it’s not like he’s coming in fresh. He’s had four years. So we’ve already seen what he can do or the lack of what he’s done.

Vikranth, 22, N.J., Asian, Democrat, medical scribe

I definitely agree with everyone else.

Moderator, Patrick Healy

Is there anyone who thinks Biden has disappointed you enough that you might not bother voting in 2024 for president?

Marquita, 33, Fla., Black, Democrat, health care account manager

Yeah, I think the only way that I would happily vote for Biden is if DeSantis ran against him. I live in Florida, so I have a lot of visibility into how he works, and I absolutely don’t want him to be the president. If it were a Biden versus Trump, I just wouldn’t vote. I think that if the last eight years have shown me anything, it’s really that the votes don’t matter as much as we would like to think they do. Is Biden horrible? He’s not great. Is Trump horrible? He’s not great. But I do think that Trump is a businessman, and if anybody can make decisions that could improve the economy, between Biden and Trump, I think that Trump will be the one to do it. So if it came down to something like that, I would just let the chips fall. I would save my energy.

Moderator, Patrick Healy

Marquita, do you regret voting for Biden in 2020 instead of voting for Trump?

Marquita, 33, Fla., Black, Democrat, health care account manager

No. I disagree with Trump on almost all social issues, but I tend to be a bit more conservative financially. We would have been too vulnerable on the world stage if Trump would have been elected again. So that’s not to say that I feel safe with Trump at the helm.

Donnia, 62, Ill., Black, independent, not working

I would never not vote. I would vote for Biden again versus the G.O.P., just because I don’t even know what they stand for anymore. I think he may be slow and a camel and a sloth and all of that, but I think that he would be the better option than Trump or DeSantis — the G.O.P., period.

Moderator, Patrick Healy

Are there other Democrats that people really like?

Donnia, 62, Ill., Black, independent, not working

Gavin Newsom in California.

Jahnique, 28, Del., Black, Democrat, loan processor

Conor Lamb, I think from Pennsylvania?

Moderator, Patrick Healy

Is there anyone who regrets voting for Biden in 2020, given the choices that you had? [No one raised a hand.]

Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson

Earlier in this focus group when we asked, “Do you think Joe Biden is a strong leader?” no one said yes. When we asked, “Does he share your values?” no one really said yes. When we said, “Do you think he’s up to the task of being president in 2028?” no one said yes. And yet most of you say you’re probably going to vote for him in 2024. You all are the sorts of voters that Republicans should be trying to win over to say, “Hey, don’t we need a change?” What would Republicans have to do to win your vote?

Max, 30, N.H., white, independent, camera operator

Just have someone come more into the center and not be so far right. The social issues are really the biggest thing. Financially, I’m pretty in the middle, but socially, I just can’t vote for Republicans, based on the people who are running and how they feel about certain things.

Claudia, 28, Fla., Latina, independent, credit portfolio manager

To echo the same thing as Max, when I think of somebody that I would vote for that was Republican, it’s like Mitt Romney or McCain. Those are the type of politicians in the middle that I would be OK with.

Donnia, 62, Ill., Black, independent, not working

I could vote Republican if they cut the evangelical portion away from it. Get out of people’s moral lives and choices."

Opinion | Biden’s Age, the Economy and Trump: 11 Skeptical Biden Voters Discuss - The New York Times

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