How Republican voters feel about Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis is one of the most important variables in American politics (and for the future of the nation) right now.
Thursday night I conducted a focus group session with eight folks who voted for Trump in both 2016 and 2020. It was a very articulate and interesting group of voters.
Much of the conversation was about Trump and DeSantis and how the group viewed both men as leaders, potential nominees, and potential presidents. I have not seen anyone else do a focus group on this timely and important topic – at least not one that is being made public.
Here is the full 27-minute session, produced by the good folks at Walking Duck Productions:
Some of the highlights:
* 7 out of 8 voters said they would be happy with just the two choices of Trump and DeSantis for the GOP nominee.
* Although the group was somewhat more pro-DeSantis than Trump, 7 out of 8 of them said they thought Trump would be the nominee.
* Their main concern about Trump was that his mouth and social media habits would create a problem with Democrats and the media, which would hamper him as president.
* The broad consensus was that Ron DeSantis is “a people person” – although several also thought he is more “swampy” than Trump, suggesting a potential line of attack. A few also gave voice to the notion that DeSantis rose in part because of Trump’s help.
* They had a lot of interesting things to say about why and how DeSantis has been effective and vaulted to the head of the line.
* When asked who else they would like to see run, the only name that inspired meaningful enthusiasm was Mike Pompeo, who they praised for his foreign policy record — and soothing voice.
You can watch the full focus group here, which I recommend.
You will learn a lot.
I know I did.
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ESSENTIAL READING
* The White House must be 95% happy with the coverage of the president’s physical. Almost every news organization simply reported the upbeat memo from Mr. Biden’s doctor, with nary even a quote from an outside physician raising even a slight question about what might have been left out. Nothing to see here….
The only exception I have seen, not surprisingly, is in the New York Times, which reengaged the services of the legendary reporter Dr. Lawrence K. Altman to double byline the Gray Lady’s write-up; Altman is the only reporter in American history to take the beat of powerful politicians’ health truly seriously.
The Times story includes this:
There was no indication in Dr. O’Connor’s letter on Thursday that Mr. Biden had undergone any kind of mental capability assessment like the Montreal (MoCA) or other screening tests, which can be done in a few minutes and which are considered sensitive to early changes hinting at dementia.
Dr. Thomas Wisniewski, the director of cognitive neurology at N.Y.U.-Langone Medical Center, said in an interview that all 80-year-olds should have such minimal mental-screening tests as part of a general assessment.
Dr. Wisniewski said the testing should be done not because a physician suspects that something is wrong in a patient, but because the incidence of dementia in 80-year-old patients is sizable, about 30 percent. Performing the test does not imply one has dementia or a problem, he said.
Dr. O’Connor said that a neurologist was among the team of doctors who examined Mr. Biden as part of his physical.
HALPERIN SAYS: I tried to get America interested in this topic for two days and failed, so I’m moving on to another mystery that only the Times highlights:
In his letter, Dr. O’Connor said the president is 72 inches, or six feet, tall — slightly taller than he was at the end of 2021, when Dr. O’Connor reported that he was 5 feet, 11.65 inches tall. The doctor did not offer any explanation for the increase in stature.
Joe Biden grows!
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* The Associated Press with the latest on the Ohio train derailment.
HALPERIN SAYS: The reason this story has such resonance is that there is populist outrage on the left and the right over what has happened – along with the human peril. Both the train company and the Biden administration have still not caught up with the public mood on this one.
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* Peggy Noonan, not at all surprisingly, puts her finger on the exact spot that explains how the Nikki Haley launch fell short of the mark, as part of a wider Republican problem:
Ms. Haley, later that night on “Hannity,” said the answer is for the Republican Party to talk in a way that “brings people in.” This was the language of the famous GOP “autopsy” in 2013: The GOP must do a better job “messaging.” But what does that even mean? That there are magic words and they must find them? There are no magic words.
This is communicating about the need to communicate. It is empty, circular, goes nowhere. The only thing in politics is strong, clear, honest stands on issues of great import. The American people know what they are, and declare them every four years.
HALPERIN SAYS: Successful presidential candidates wake up every morning and ask themselves, “What are the twenty things I need to do today to win?” – and then they do all twenty, even if one of the twenty is to chew through handcuffs. Keep looking for signs that Ambassador/Governor Haley is doing that.
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* CNN:
Special counsel Jack Smith is locked in at least eight secret court battles that aim to unearth some of the most closely held details about Donald Trump’s actions after the 2020 election and handling of classified material, according to sources and court records reviewed by CNN.
HALPERIN SAYS: Smith is a deadly legal assassin and Trump World underestimates him at its peril.
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* The president made his China/UFO statement Thursday, and then this:
But the only place you can read a fuller account of what went down is in the New York Post, whose account will tell you both about the president bristling at a question over his family’s ties to China and about the White House attempting to restrict media access to the event.
HALPERIN SAYS: It is not too soon to start analyzing how press relations in the Zients-LaBolt era are going to work, as the reelect gears up.
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Correction: In Thursday’s edition, I spelt “pore” incorrectly. While my mother was not the only one who caught that error, my mother caught that error, which I regret. And I wish I had an editor.
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