On February 5 & 6, 2024, Democracy Corps conducted focus groups with GOP moderate women from the Philadelphia suburbs, Black men in Detroit, and Hispanic women in Nevada. The groups were recruited and moderated by Z to A Research.
Respondents first watched five minutes of videos of Biden’s top content — his speaking to rallies in Wisconsin and to the UAW in Michigan, followed by his announcement spot, and then, his press conference showing his anger at Donald Trump killing the bipartisan border deal because “it would be bad for him politically.”
Respondents then watched five minutes of Trump, supposedly at his worst. It started with Trump promising to be “dictator on day one” to “close the border” and “drill.” Then, they watched Trump demand Biden “release the J 6 hostages.” It was followed by over a minute of Trump deploring “Biden’s extremist open borders, agenda destroying innocent lives.” They watched an ad comparing the Trump and Biden economies. And, at the end, they watched an interview where Trump declared, “I got rid of Roe v. Wade.”
They also watched Nikki Haley describe the “chaos” surrounding Trump.
Respondents were asked their reaction after each clip and at the end, to give their takeaways. After the Biden segment, they were asked, “does this make you more enthusiastic about voting for Biden?”
Access the full report, with key takeaways, below.
