A panel of young undecided voters Wednesday told the New York Times they’re fed up with former President Donald Trump’s campaign and his surprisingly “weak” new demeanor.
The group of 14 shared their views on Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris after the presidential debate and about one month after checking in with the Times in August, according to the report.
“When Trump announced that JD Vance was going to be his vice president, I was super excited because I really liked his book,” said Lillian, a27-year-old Virginian who voted for Trump in 2020.
“But every time he talks, and every time I see an interview from him, I just get disgusted and disappointed.”
Lillian was not the only young voter to raise concerns about the members of Trump’s inner political circle.
Trump’s decision to invite far-right activist, conspiracy theorist and self-described “proud Islamophobe” Laura Loomer onto his private airplane last week stunned Mark, a Californian 24-year-old who voted for President Joe Biden in the last election.
“[Trump] doesn’t necessarily scare me,” Mark said. “What scares me is the people he’s surrounded himself with and how they can use him…It just seems like he’s a vessel for other people who are way more competent and have way more plans to do stuff that I personally don’t agree with.”
“I also want to know who the heck is running this campaign,” said 19-year-old New Yorker Angelo. “Because I just saw that Laura Loomer was coming out of his plane, and I don’t want a psychopath around someone who could become president
The group also had stark criticism for Harris, whom they criticized as “phony” and urged to reveal more about her policy agenda, but said they were shocked by the effect she had on Trump during the debate.
“He looked pretty weak next to Harris, who is someone who has historically not been able to perform well in debates altogether,” said George, a 21-year-old student from Georgia who didn’t vote in 2020.
When McLane,25, a Washington D.C. voter who wrote in Sen. Mitt Romney in 2020, argued Trump looked immature rather than weak, George doubled down.
“That is weakness, not being able to control your emotions,” George told McLane. “That’s not what we want in a leader.”
Pierce, 26, a North Carolina resident who did not vote in the last election, agreed.
“I feel like Trump looked weak,” said Pierce. “I’ve never seen him look like that before.”
Asked to describe Harris and Trump in one word — a task that proved impossible for several of the young voters who struggled to keep to the word limit or identify adjectives — they described Harris as “confident,” “phony and terrifying,” “vibes candidate,” and “Run, Spot, run.”
Trump was described as “unstable,” “selfishly hysterical,” “further deteriorating,” “spiraling” and “unviable.”
Should the election occur Wednesday, it was clear choice for five of the 14: Trump.
Four of the 14 said they’d choose Harris, three remained undecided and two said they’d write in another option.
“I just don’t want to feel personally responsible for whatever happens,” undecided Michigan voter Ben, 20, said. “I don’t believe my one vote will make a difference, even in a swing state.”
