Voters who were willing to give Donald Trump the benefit of the doubt earlier this year are now turning on the president over his lack of progress on the economy.
After months of cautious optimism that Trump’s supposed business acumen would lead to greater wealth for all Americans, focus groups increasingly show that some voters have lost faith that Trump can bring down the cost of living—or that he’s even trying, NBC News reported.
The news outlet commissioned focus groups throughout the year bringing together Trump voters in swing states and surveying more than 50 Black, Hispanic and young voters—key demographics that propelled Trump’s re-election victory.
Back in June, several Hispanic voters said they had faith in Trump’s tariffs and believed he had a “grand master plan that most of us probably don’t understand,” as one 44-year-old Georgia voter put it.
Now, more voters view tariffs as a tax on the American people, according to NBC. Some focus group participants still say that things would have been worse under a Democratic president, but others have accused Trump of pulling a “bait and switch.”
One 54-year-old from Virginia who backed Trump in 2024 but voted for Democrat Abigail Spanberger in November’s gubernatorial election said this month that Trump’s claims that he had improved inflation were “delusional” and showed he was “out of touch.”
After campaigning on a promise to bring down prices, the president has begun calling the cost-of-living crisis a “hoax.”
Another 39-year-old from Virginia said he didn’t think Trump had “tried at all” to tackle inflation.
“He’s been focused on prosecuting his political enemies, pardoning people,” he said, adding that Trump “just does whatever he wants and there’s no consequences.”
The focus groups also highlighted criticism of the president’s deportation policies.
While many voters said they were happy that Trump had secured the border and vastly reduced the number of refugees allowed to enter the country, they didn’t like the aggressive tactics being deployed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“He was going to deport people that were criminal and have backgrounds,” one Hispanic voter from Georgia said. “But I see that he’s deporting people that work hard and have been in this country.”
In a focus group held earlier this month, a 52-year-old independent from Virginia accused ICE of “kidnapping people.”
Similarly, a 21-year-old Wisconsin independent said the administration’s treatment of undocumented immigrants who don’t pose a threat to public safety did not align with her conservative, Christian, pro-life values.
The focus groups are not as scientific as polls, but they can provide a valuable snapshot of voters’ thinking on major issues.
The group’s responses were consistent with polling that shows Trump is hemorrhaging support in crucial demographics, including young men and Hispanic voters.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
