'Worried' Michigan swing voters now regret supporting 'erratic' Trump: He’s 'acting like a dictator'

14 March

President Donald Trump and many of his MAGA allies continue to use terms like "landslide" and "historic mandate" to describe his victory over then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the United States' 2024 presidential race, but in fact, it was a close election. Trump won the popular vote by roughly 1.5 percent, which is hardly a "landslide."

Nonetheless, Trump's performance in the Rust Belt is a source of major frustration for Democrats, as Trump flipped Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — three of the states that former President Joe Biden carried in 2020. And Democratic strategists want to make sure that those states don't go the way of Ohio, which went to former President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 but now leans Republican.

Some Engagious/Sago focus groups recently held in Michigan may be a hopeful sign for Democrats.

According to Axios reporters Erin Doherty and Margaret Talev, most of the 2024 Trump voters who participated now have buyer's remorse.

"Most Michigan swing voters in our latest Engagious/Sago focus groups said that although they voted for President Trump in November, they have objections, frustrations and fears about his behavior since he returned to power," Doherty and Talev report in an article published on March 14. "Driving the news: Ten of 13 participants from this battleground, auto-industry state bordering Canada said what they're seeing isn't what they thought they were voting for — and they're worried Trump's approach may hurt their pocketbooks. 'Erratic,' 'frightening,' 'disruptive' and 'dictator' were among the words they used to describe their concerns."

The voters in the Michigan focus groups, which were held on Tuesday night, March 11, were not hardcore MAGA devotees, but rather, swing voters who went from Biden in 2020 to Trump in 2024. According to Doherty and Talev, "Eight were self-described independents, four were Republicans and one was a Democrat."

Phil L., a 45-year-old-resident of Dearborn Heights, Michigan and focus group participant, finds Trump's trade war with Canada ridiculous.

Phil L. said, "I mean, Canada? When have we ever had issues with Canada? We barely have a border. You can go in and out of the country and a lot of places, a lot of states. I think we're just barking up the wrong tree with this."

Sheryl M., a 44-year-old Michigan resident, voted for Trump in November but now says, "He's so erratic, and it's getting to the point where I'm almost scared to watch the news. I mean, it's a little bit frightening, 'cause each day is something new. So you get a little anxious."

Theresa L., who is 55, said of Trump, "He who saves his country doesn't violate any law. He is acting like a dictator."

Read the full Axios article at this link.

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