'Out for blood': Undecided voters offer surprising reactions to Trump’s Manhattan trial

10 June 2024

After Donald Trump was found guilty on 34 criminal counts in his hush money/falsified business records trial, Frank Luntz hosted a focus group featuring 11 undecided voters. And the veteran GOP pollster, according to the New York Times, asked them, "How the heck can you be undecided at this point?"

Luntz is a conservative, but he didn't mean that question in a MAGA-friendly way.

The 62-year-old Republican has had some major health problems, including suffering multiple strokes. And he has attributed them to severe stress, saying that not speaking out more forcefully against Trump took a severe toll on his health.

During the focus group, the undecided voters weighed in on the Trump verdict — and how it might affect their vote in the 2024 presidential election.

Wendy, a 57-year-old New Yorker, told Luntz, "To me, this is the worst of democracy. The fact that a felon can actually run for president hurts the general population."

But Ben, a 42-year-old Texan in the focus group, commented, "I lean toward this being the best of democracy. I would have been too terrified of voting in that direction if I was in that jury."

Ben also told Luntz, "So now, it's down to voting for the convicted felon or voting for (President Joe) Biden, the super-old, out-of-touch guy. I don't really like either of those choices, but I think I'm going to go with the old guy losing his mind over the convicted felon who's probably going to be out for blood as soon as he's elected. It's like I'm in Poland trying to choose between the Nazis and the Soviets. I'm just going to flip a coin, but probably voting for Biden. I don't know if I'll vote."

Trump is scheduled to be sentenced by Justice Juan Merchan on July 11.

Chantel, a 33-year-old California resident, told Luntz, "'How is he going to run the presidency from jail?' is what I’m thinking. It kind of doesn't make sense to vote for him."

Seven of the participants told Luntz they thought the trial was fair, while John, a 58-year-old Pennsylvania resident, believed the trial was "rigged." And three were "not sure" if the trial was fair or unfair.

Read the New York Times' full report on Frank Luntz's focus group at this link (subscription required).

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