Opinion | The US economy, the southern border, October 7: How 13 Biden and Trump voters saw 2023

By Sydney Barrett Last updated Dec 30, 2023

Something strange happened during our current Times Opinion focus group, the 18th and final of 2023. When we asked participants (13 Democrats, Republicans and Independents) how they felt about the economy, we didn't hear the same chorus of complaints as previously Our other groups intoned pretty consistently throughout the year. Our participants were by no means cheerful, but some were optimistic, and even the Trump voters in the group weren't upset about the economy — so much so that our focus group moderator Frank Luntz looked a little surprised and said, “Okay, that's not so bad.” . In fact, it’s somewhat good.”

Our goal with this focus group was to bring together people who voted for Joe Biden or Donald Trump in 2020 and explore areas where they agreed or disagreed about the year we just experienced. In some places, the usual partisan divisions disappeared: In addition to some uptick in the economy, several Biden and Trump voters expressed concern about continued aid to Ukraine, concern about the U.S. border with Mexico and not wanting Mr. Biden to run for re-election. The group was more divided on Israel and Gaza, as well as on the prosecution of Mr. Trump.

We asked what participants would say to Mr. Biden if he had listened to the group. Angela, a 56-year-old Black woman from California who endorsed him in 2020, said: “Thank you for your many years of service in politics. Go home. Enjoy your wife. Enjoy your life.” Sean, a 39-year-old white man from Georgia who voted for Mr. Biden last time, said: “They're going to have to let someone else step in. He's not going to have a good choice at this point.”

When we asked what they would say to Mr. Trump, Betsy, a 42-year-old white woman from Colorado who supported him in 2020, said: “Please say goodbye. They are the Democratic Party's best voting machine.” At the same time, there were more Trump and Biden voters at that point who said they believed Mr. Trump would win in November than participants who said they believed Mr. Biden would win.

And when asked what they thought the country would look like in 2030, there was a mix of optimism and pessimism, but the responses didn't fall strictly along party lines. The biggest concern of all was not the country's politics, but the health of our culture and the values of younger Americans.

Patrick Healy and Frank Luntz

Mr Healy is the deputy opinion editor. Frank Luntz is a longtime focus group moderator, pollster and strategist who has worked for Republican candidates in previous elections.

Angela 56, Black, California, Biden 2020 Voter, Recommendation Specialist