Recent polls of swing state voters have shown that former President Trump has an edge over President Biden in six key battleground states where he was narrowly defeated four years ago. Some voters who supported Biden in 2020 are now saying that they want Trump back in office for the 2024 election. These voters cite reasons such as a rise in the cost of living under Biden’s administration and a belief that the country is not better off now than it was four years ago. Discontent over the economy and foreign policy issues, along with a decrease in support for Biden from younger, Black, and Hispanic voters, pose a threat to the president’s Democratic coalition.
One voter, Frederick Westbrook, a retired Las Vegas hotel worker, admitted that voting for Biden to remove Trump from office was the “biggest mistake of my life.” He believes that his cost of living has increased significantly under Biden’s presidency and that everything, from housing to insurance, has become more expensive. Despite his lack of trust in Trump, Westbrook feels that the economy is the most critical issue and that Biden has not lived up to his expectations in this regard. This sentiment is echoed by others who share Westbrook’s view that they are worse off under Biden.
Other voters mentioned in the polls and interviews expressed discontent with Biden’s performance on various fronts, such as the economy and foreign policy. Jaredd Johnson, a 25-year-old marketing worker in Atlanta, had hoped that Biden would restore the country to pre-pandemic normalcy but feels that this has not been achieved. Despite his reservations about Trump, Johnson plans to vote for the Republican nominee in the upcoming election. Christopher Sheffield, a 61-year-old veteran counselor from Georgia, believes that regardless of Trump’s stance on race, his strength on global crises makes him a better choice than Biden in challenging times.
Fox News political analyst Gianno Caldwell noted that many Black voters who had supported Biden in 2020 are now turning towards Trump due to disappointing economic conditions under the current administration. Caldwell believes that Black voters were misled by promises made during the last election and are now realizing that they are in a worse financial position than they were under Trump. Inflation, illegal immigration, and Biden’s foreign policy decisions have contributed to a growing sentiment among voters for a change in leadership, even if they view Trump as a “horrible human being.”
Amelia Earwood, a 47-year-old safety trainer at the U.S. Postal Service in Georgia, expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of the country, citing the loss of core values and a belief that Trump could potentially straighten out the mess she perceives Biden to have made. Despite her personal feelings towards Trump, Earwood believes that his policies could be more beneficial for the country than Biden’s. The sentiments expressed by Westbrook, Johnson, Sheffield, Caldwell, and Earwood highlight a growing shift in public opinion towards a preference for Trump over Biden in the upcoming election.
Overall, the polls and interviews conducted among swing state voters reveal a significant shift in attitudes towards the current administration and a growing preference for Trump among certain demographics. The reasons cited for this shift include concerns over the economy, foreign policy decisions, and growing discontent with the current state of the country. While some voters still harbor reservations about Trump’s character, they believe that his policies may be more effective in addressing the issues they care about. The upcoming election in 2024 may see a resurgence of support for Trump among voters who are dissatisfied with the current administration.
