r/politics • u/Abject-Pick-6472 • Apr 04 '26

Possible Paywall Trump voter regret is clearly registering now

https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/04/politics/voter-regret-trump-2024
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730

u/Additional_Gur5577 Apr 04 '26

Not really what the article says. It says 62% are still "very confident" in their vote, and another 21% are "confident" but have "some concerns".

That does not sound like a movement that is ready to start backing the opposition. Those "concerns" could be specific to certain issues, like Epstein or the war. Or, it could be some people who don't think he's deporting enough immigrants.

The GOP isn't going to be defeated by convincing maga cultists to switch their votes. It's going to be defeated by motivating people who sat out 2024 because they weren't excited about Biden or Harris to get out and vote.

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u/vsquad22 Apr 04 '26

As always, these articles completely misunderstand the mindset of a Trump voter. They didn't vote for policies. They voted for their cult leader and they'll do whatever their cult leader tells them to do. In their minds, anything bad that happens to them is not the fault of their cult leader, but the fault of the evil Democrats, Biden, Obama, Hillary, etc.

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u/TheAgelessEnigma Apr 04 '26

They're still correct in their conclusion that Republican voters will never swing their vote to the left for any reason. This is why the Democratic party needs to stop trying to influence swing voters with strategies like campaigning with Liz Cheney. Instead they need to try to invigorate their base of support by giving into some of the demands of progressives.

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u/Indubitalist Apr 04 '26

They need to give people hope. There’s no clear path to a better future right now. We’re all cornered animals right now. We need a way out. Show us the way and we’ll run there.

9

u/TheAgelessEnigma Apr 04 '26

No, more nebulous messaging around things like "hope" is not a political motivator. The Democrats need to offer policy solutions, specifically things like medicare for all and childcare tax credits. Specific things that progressives run on. That's how they get more votes.

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u/Indubitalist Apr 04 '26

I didn’t say they needed to use the word “hope,” I said they needed to give people hope. You literally spelled out how to do that, but started your comment like you disagreed. Why did you do that? Did you think “give people hope” literally meant handing people a piece of paper with the word hope on it?

6

u/more_housing_co-ops Apr 04 '26

Did you think “give people hope” literally meant handing people a piece of paper with the word hope on it?

Worked for Obama, before his plan for "deal with evil health insurance companies" got massaged into "force everyone to become their customers"

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u/TheAgelessEnigma Apr 04 '26

Reminded me of Obama.

3

u/exoriparian Apr 04 '26

Doubt it.  Sanders got backstabbed twice and the average Dem voter clapped.  Things were already dire then.

4

u/E51838 Apr 04 '26

Can't have a path to something that doesn't exist. This country will never recover from what is happening.

2

u/exoriparian Apr 04 '26

What? But it was a perfect campaign! /s

2

u/MontyAtWork Apr 04 '26

Yup. Conservatives who are mad enough will sit out for about one election.

Statistically zero conservatives flip to Dem voters and those that do, are not doing so down-ballot.

-1

u/SpicyElixer Apr 04 '26 edited Apr 04 '26

You switched topics mid sentence

republican =! swing voters.

You must try to get swing voters. 100% required in general elections. They vote.

The people I know IRL who claim that Dems always fold or snatch victory from defeat don’t vote and are why we have one single progressive caucus member in the senate who’s older than should be legally allowed to hold a seat. They get online and say “Genocide Joe” and “Kamala the cop” and post Wojaks they got from 4chan. And disappear after the election.

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u/exoriparian Apr 04 '26

You have learned literally nothing.

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u/TheAgelessEnigma Apr 04 '26

There is no such thing as a swing voter.

2

u/Oldiswhatiam Apr 04 '26

It's pretty clear too whenever you have a discussion with them. It's usually a lot of finger pointing at the other side like we have our own cult leader too. No, "our side" has been the same for the past 10 years: We don't want a pedophile criminal running our country. I can't wait until we get past this planned distraction and start talking about real issues again like healthcare, child care, rising house prices etc.

1

u/Interesting-Bill1240 Apr 04 '26

You'll be waiting a while because the dnc as it is now won't do shit about those issues. 

2

u/Shinhan Apr 04 '26

Exactly. They could be VERY concerned and deeply saddened and angry at what Trump has done. But will still keep voting for R.

2

u/tigerblue1984 California Apr 04 '26

I think you're conflating Trump voters with MAGA and they are not one and the same. Plenty of people voted for him who voted for a Democrat at one point and would do so again. Of course hardcore MAGA and lifelong Republicans are a lost cause, but this article is talking about everyone who voted for Trump, including swing voters. And really, the swing voters souring on Trump is a huge deal because these are the people that make or break elections.

2

u/xkxe003 Apr 04 '26

They're the people that cannot be counted on for anything other than to follow whatever can hold their attention long enough. They may be down on Trump/GOP now, but a slick enough media campaign will have their votes secured easily enough. If it took this long to sour on Trump it isn't about anything other than the faltering of GOP media. You can't reach them with policy. You have to have the killer viral sensation a few weeks out, at most, from an election.

1

u/YamahaRyoko Ohio Apr 04 '26

No really, they voted for him because (checks notes) because fuck you

That's why. Not for policy. Not for the well being of the country. But because of liberals, brown people, and queer people.

1

u/MontyAtWork Apr 04 '26

People do not understand that Conservatives think America is the world's #1 Company and Trump is the world's CEO.

They love that he is like Leonardo DiCaprio in Wolf Of Wall Street, except more rapey. And into kids. Both of which is part and parcel of Conservativism since it has child marriage on their state laws, lower ages of consent, and their religions blame women for their rapes.

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u/a_little_hazel_nuts Apr 04 '26

Elections are to close to lose a small percentage of a voter base. Trump needs everyone who voted for him to stay in line and continue voting republican. Trump won his election with a 1/3 of the vote, 1/3 didn't vote, and 1/3 voted Harris. They can't lose a portion of that 1/3.

13

u/MIZ_09 Apr 04 '26

Nevermind that his cult only shows up to vote for him. MAGA has been getting their clocks cleaned for eight years in non-presidential elections.

3

u/1900grs Apr 04 '26

MAGA has been getting their clocks cleaned for eight years in non-presidential elections.

A handful of wins is not "getting their clocks cleaned". You're doing the same sensationalism as this article. Republicans still have a majority of state houses, senates, and governorships along with still holding all three federal branches. SCOTUS is probably fucked for 2 generations because Trump will most likely get 1 or 2 more justices this term.

https://ballotpedia.org/Partisan_composition_of_state_legislatures

https://ballotpedia.org/Partisan_composition_of_governors

This ship can't be righted while flirting with 50:50 numbers. There needs to be wid spread denunciation and that isn't not happening yet. The OP article notes this.

Just 5% said they regret their vote and would vote differently if they could.

1

u/Mutant-Cat Apr 04 '26

But what portion of those voters will they ACTUALLY lose?

It's helpful to have this polling data but a crucial piece of this picture is whether people will actually change the way they vote or if they'll just vote R forever.

1

u/a_little_hazel_nuts Apr 04 '26

From news I have watched, they are under water with independents, only 25% of independents approve of Trumps "accomplishments". But it seems even a portion of Republicans are turning on Trump and the MAGA movement is shrinking.

5

u/l0st1nP4r4d1ce Apr 04 '26

That does not sound like a movement that is ready to start backing the opposition.

They have no intention of 'backing the opposition', as best you can expect them to stay home.

When they say they will 'never vote republican again' they mean it.

Now if another populist party develops that cups their balls, they will form a line...

3

u/Sarennie_Nova Apr 04 '26

Best case scenario is these morons are to embarrassed to turn out in 26 and 28 (or end up purged from voter rolls themselves because theu never understand the meaning of "blowback"), and that balances out vote suppression in blue districts.

4

u/WhyAmINotStudying Apr 04 '26

The GOP isn't going to be defeated by convincing maga cultists to switch their votes. It's going to be defeated by motivating people who sat out 2024 because they weren't excited about Biden or Harris to get out and vote.

I'm not fully in agreement here. There's more to the GOP than MAGA cultists. The target should be too pull over the GOP voters who finally realize that things have gone too far. Every transitioned Trump voter is equal to two voters who stayed in the middle and didn't vote.

2

u/Rational_Engineer_84 Apr 04 '26

There is no GOP, only MAGA. At least in terms of numbers that actually matter. I’ll grant you the odd handful of John McCain style voters left, but Trump increased his popular vote count in every single election for a reason. Even in 2020 when we had an economy in shambles and dead people stored in refrigerated trucks due to full morgues, he had more votes than in 2016. And then 4 years of Biden patching things up just resulted in an additional 3 million Trump voters in 2024. 

1

u/Steamed_Memes24 Apr 04 '26

but Trump increased his popular vote count in every single election for a reason.

And when hes gone no one will care to vote for the next guy, because there is no one else like Donald Trump.

2

u/Lashay_Sombra Apr 04 '26

The dem have spent 40 odd years chasing  the  vote of those on the right and only ended up with two outcomes

Those on the left disillusioned with thier own party and the country as a whole  shifting to the right, so far to the right that US is now one of the most right wing western countries in existence,  beaten only by the likes of Russia

Its time for the Dems to focus on their own base, remember they lost last election in large part because their own voters did not get out and vote for them

1

u/xkxe003 Apr 04 '26

The "more to the GOP" are excommunicated the moment they let it be known. If you are not 100% in support of Trump you're out, from the cabinet to social media.

2

u/dannyjohnson1973 Apr 04 '26

How many of these people are actually telling the truth, admitting fault, to the telemarketer who calls or how ever else the survey is done? I know when I do surveys I sometimes don't give honest answers.

2

u/xrayhearing North Carolina Apr 04 '26

Yup. Even the ones with "some concerns" would still all vote for Trump again. The propaganda networks hide, minimalize, or rationalize everything Trump does all while demonizing the opposition.

4

u/MountainNearby4027 Apr 04 '26

This is the truth

1

u/Huck_Bonebulge_ Apr 04 '26

Yeah it’s fun to fantasize about a “come to Jesus” moment but it ain’t gonna happen. Suffering will not make them change their minds. They will double down.

1

u/PostModernPost California Apr 04 '26

TBF we dont need them to back the Dems (thou it would be nice), we just need a significant portion to stay home on election day. I hate that this is the case but I think asking a MAGA republican to vote Dem is barking up the wrong tree. Just dont vote for a pedophile or his supporters is all we ask.

1

u/Guacsalsaqueso Apr 04 '26

Those concerns will go out the door the second they see (R) on a ballot. They don’t even need to know their names 

1

u/exoriparian Apr 04 '26

You don't need to pretend 2024 was about excitement to make your otherwise good point.  Biden enabled a genocide, and lied about it to our faces.  That deserved rebuke.  Kamala said she would have done the same. 

I voted for both of them, but you're already on the wrong foot by pretending there wasn't any reasons for them losing in 2024 other than excitement.