According to the Real Clear Politics polling average, former Vice President Joe Biden is leading President Trump by 8.4 percent among likely voters. But a new focus group of Michigan swing voters, many of whom switched from voting for Presdent Obama in 2012 to President Trump in 2016, tells a different story. From Axios:
Some swing voters in Warren, Mich., question Joe Biden's ability to lead the country — calling him a "puppet" who's not "mentally capable of being president" — while admitting they haven't paid much attention to his events, platforms or speeches.
While a focus group is not a statistically significant sample like a poll, the responses show how some voters are thinking and talking about the 2020 election in crucial counties.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the voters in the focus group were not seeking out details about what Biden is offering as an alternative to Trump.
Biden's lower profile in mostly virtual events was proving no competition for Trump's provocative attacks and national bully pulpit. Many of the voters couldn't name a single achievement Biden has had in his life.
On the economy, Biden doesn't seem to stand a chance. He's also losing on the issue of competency.
Many of these voters prioritize the economy as their #1 issue in this election and continue to trust Trump on that issue, saying the economy was doing well before the pandemic.
In addition to improving the economy and trying to bring more jobs to the U.S., Jeff O. said he's picking Trump because "I don’t think that Biden is mentally capable of being president."
Matt T. described Biden as "up there in age" and "showing signs of dementia" as well as "a puppet" who is "controlled by a lot of people in the deep state." He went on to define that term as "the lobbyists, the people that have the big money, the people that have influence on a lot of the politicians."
The Trump campaign and President Trump have repeatedly pushed back on polling showing Biden ahead in key states and close in reliably red states like Texas and Arizona.