Many independent voters will watch the presidential debate next week for answers on President Joe Biden’s health, inflation, and open borders, participants in a Reuters focus group said.
Commentary on the 15 participants’ concerns was published Thursday.
The debate is scheduled to be a highly watched first rematch between the two candidates since Biden took control of the federal government. Under Biden’s regime prices soared about 20 percent across the board, and over 1.7 million known “gotaways,” illegal immigrants who evaded Border Patrol, entered the country, according to Congress.
Though the debate’s rules favor Biden — as the Biden camp reportedly acknowledges — voters will watch to see if Biden provides cogent answers about the top issues of soaring costs and seemingly endless migration, focus group members said.
The focus group included seven men and eight women from battleground states. Their age, party affiliation, and race varied.
Nine of the individuals “were previous Biden voters” who are not satisfied with his leadership, Reuters reported. Three of those interviewed were not thrilled with Trump but did not consider Biden a legitimate alternative choice.
“Mental fitness, especially Biden’s, is a key issue for these undecided voters, who will be watching the first debate to see how well” the candidates “can think on their feet,” Reuters reported. “Biden’s stewardship of the economy, and especially his handling of inflation, is also a hot topic,” with Biden’s mass migration a close third.
“What is his agenda, if he gets a second term, to address inflation?” questioned 35-year-old Pennsylvania resident Rich Liebig, who voted for Biden in 2016 and 2020, underscoring his concern that Biden does not have strength to serve four more years.
“Biden has got to show that he can take on Trump again,” he said.
ShaRon Johnson Bynum, a 59-year-old telecommunication program manager in North Carolina who voted against Trump in 2016 and 2020, said the debate could expose whether or not Biden is “mentally and physically able to do the role.”
The border “needs to be under control,” said Ashley Altum, who voted for twice-failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020.
“Anything scary in either direction would sway me toward the other,” Tom Reich, a 39-year-old undecided voter in Maryland said. “I think that is more likely than either candidate swaying me toward them.”
Biden is scheduled to spend a better part of the week preparing with his former chief of staff to debate former President Donald Trump. Some Republicans mocked the length of time needed for his preparation, but others believe Biden should not be underestimated.“President Biden is the frontrunner in a hypothetical matchup against former President Trump for the first time since October, as positive views of the economy inch up — hitting their highest level thus far in the Biden presidency,” Fox News’ Dana Blanton wrote Wednesday.CNN’s Jake Tapper, a strong Trump critic, will co-host the debate and have the power to mute Trump’s mic. Below are 11 times Tapper attacked Trump with nasty claims:
- Suggested Trump was a nightmare: “For tens of millions of our fellow Americans, their long national nightmare is over.”
- Claimed Trump “continues to lie to the American people” about coronavirus testing.
- Retweeted a post that called Trump “100% insane.”
- Shamed Trump upon being hospitalized for the coronavirus.
- Described Trump’s presidency as a “disaster.”
- Reported twice on Trump’s penis.
- Questioned the 2016 election by perpetrating the Russia Collusion Hoax.
- Suggested Trump tried to kill democracy.
- Ordered CNN’s control room not to cover Trump live.
- Claimed Trump was a “rather angry defendant, saying there’s no case here.”
- Refused to cover Trump live due to “potentially dangerous” content.
If the leader of the free world needs 7 straight days of continuous uninterrupted rest to stand for one 90 minute debate that tells you all you need to know about his fitness for office. https://t.co/CGgcdZFuau
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) June 20, 2024
Wendell Husebo is a political reporter with Breitbart News and a former GOP War Room Analyst. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality. Follow Wendell on “X” @WendellHusebø or on Truth Social @WendellHusebo.
