In the days after the election, Times reporters went to four swing state counties with some of the tightest vote margins to see how people were feeling. The answer? Still pretty divided.
In the days after the election, Times reporters went to four swing state counties with some of the tightest vote margins to see how people were feeling. The answer? Still pretty divided.
new video loaded:Swing State Voters Look to the Future
transcript
Swing State Voters Look to the Future
In the days after the election, Times reporters went to four swing state counties with some of the tightest vote margins to see how people were feeling. The answer? Still pretty divided.
“Across the country anxiety is growing ...” “One the most contentious elections in history ...” “... and pandemic that has transformed the way the nation votes...” “Here’s Pennsylvania, a must win for Trump, his lead. has been ...” “Votes are being counted in the states that will decide this election ...” “Let’s take a look at Arizona now ...” “Is trying to undermine this election ...” “We are at a tipping point ... Vice President Joe Biden will win Pennsylvania ...” “... shows no signs of conceding ...” [overlapping sound] “I would say the mood and energy of this election would be very chaotic.” “Unfortunately, no one’s listening and everyone is talking.” “I think the biggest part is just the relief. All the political ads are over. Everybody I know is just done with that.” “Around here, it’s suburbia, so you have that split vote, people feeling disenfranchised one way or the other.” “There’s a lot of inequality in this country, huge, you know. We judge each other by how we look. We hide behind our social media.” “Something that we’ve moved away from is having open discussion of ideas. And I think that Pinellas is such a swing area, it’s because we do have those type of discussions, hash some things out, you know.” “And they were teaching people to hate our country ...” “Will you shut up?” “... 47 years you’ve done nothing, they understand ...” “You’re the worst president America has ever had.” “I’m a patriot. So no matter who is in office, I’ll respect that. But as it’s going right now, oh my God, it’s like a bunch of chickens fighting each other.” “The last four years have left me wanting more.” “It was a lot of anxiety leading up to this point.” “I want people to have more trust in government, have more trust in the political leaders and the people we elect.” “Politics are pretty divided and things seem really dark. But, you know, as a person of color, things have always kind of been dark.” “I don’t think we focus enough on environment. We certainly don’t focus enough on, you know, the downtrodden. We just don’t do enough to help people.” “Donald Trump has a death grip over the grass roots of the Republican Party ...” ”... Democrat Party wants to turn us into a socialist nation ...” “Donald Trump is running a hustle the most gullible voters in history.” “The silent majority.” “... against the truth ...” “There’s a feeling as if middle America is just told to shut up and sit there and vote left.” “I did vote for Trump and I would again. There’s nothing that he doesn’t represent in who I am.” “We were not necessarily going to vote for Joe Biden until, you know, maybe May or June. And by then Covid was really pretty awful.” “I voted for Donald Trump despite the issues that I have with him. Just mainly for economic policy and for stances on international affairs.” “I mean, it’s difficult because neither party is really representative of a hyper-progressive stance that I would enjoy.” “I do not want to live in a socialist country. Not at all. That was my main focus. Secondly, right now, I think the economy is great. It’s making a huge comeback. And I think Trump was the man to do it and to keep it going.” “This country ... it’s frightening how many states voted for Trump. I thought we would, he would, Biden would win in a landslide. And it’s shocking. I’m shocked.” “This has been a tough election for me, honestly. I’ve always voted Republican. I did not vote Republican this time. I voted Democrat because I do not like Donald Trump.” “There are downsides to both. And because of that, I personally, I didn’t do enough research to vote. Family-wise, I do have family that supports Trump. But I just ... I couldn’t.” “Well, the one that stood out that he was for the little guy. Biden, because he’s down to earth.” “One side of a deeply divided country is celebrating this week.” “Biden-Harris campaign has the most radical platform ...” “And Donald Trump has shown us time and time again, how he feels about our community.” “... completely sick of identity politics, it’s garbage ...” “... a racist ...” “When I was a younger woman, you know, we talked about the elections all the time. But we don’t anymore.” “I think Democrats are a little more open-minded, you know, fair to see the other side, thinking critically, and it just seems like the voters on the other side, just like, ‘This is how it is.’” “I would love to talk to my friends on the other side, but it gets too...heated.” “And that’s, that’s really bad. It stops the conversation that we need to be having, but we don’t do it. We don’t.” “A reshaped Republican Party, now grappling with what its future holds.” “... the president is now enveloping himself is this fantasy that the election is still ongoing.” “He is ignoring a pandemic, which actually is ongoing.” “... has been talking about unity, what they’re pushing for ...” “... divided country ... pay off all of this pain.” “Heck yeah, a united country matters. I mean, this is America. I hope my liberal friends are right. I still love them all the same.” “I do not think we will be unified at all.” “Honestly, it will probably get a little bit worse before it gets any better.” “I don’t feel any kind of way against anyone who chooses Trump. They have their reasons for doing what they do, like I have my reasons for voting for who I voted for.” “And I will respect the president, no matter who it is. And that’s unlike Trump. He got no respect from anybody that was against him. And I think that’s wrong.” “I don’t think we’ll ever get there. We’ve always been divided.” “America is America. But I look at the good side and there’s a lot of good people here. A lot.” “Yes, it matters that we are a united country. If we don’t stand for something, we’ll fall for anything.”
Swing State Voters Look to the Future
In the days after the election, Times reporters went to four swing state counties with some of the tightest vote margins to see how people were feeling. The answer? Still pretty divided.
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