New Trump Voters and Non-voters on the 2024 Election

This Navigator Research report contains findings from focus groups conducted on December 11th* among new Trump voters and non-voters, as well as qualboards conducted November 6 – 7** among strong Harris supporters and late deciders on reactions to the election results, perceptions of the political parties, and what they view as the priorities for the incoming Trump administration.

New Trump voters—those who voted for Biden in 2020 and Trump in 2024—express relief and cautious optimism about a second Trump term.

New Trump voters express optimism about the results of the election, as an Arizona independent said: “I’m optimistic about the fact that America is going to [be] prioritized…. I voted for Trump, more money is going to be in my pocket and I’m looking forward to it.” Others felt relieved that the election was over and anxious to see what comes next, as a New York woman said: “I am relieved that Trump won as well as that we’re no longer seeing all these commercials and talking about it so much… I don’t know what the future holds. I hope I made the right decision in voting for him.”

• Strong Harris supporters on the other hand expressed anxiety and despair, as one woman said: “I’m disgusted. I had so much hope that we could finally move on from Donald Trump and have a functional, productive government again. But this is a huge step backward. I just feel lost.” Another Harris supporter said: “I feel betrayed by the American Public. I honestly cannot believe we’ve let this happen, again. There’s so much at stake with Trump becoming an elected official.”

Voters who voted in 2020 but decided not to vote in 2024 also expressed some discouragement, but felt confident in their decision, as one Wisconsin man put it: “I keep using the phrase, ‘Well, you can’t blame me.’ I didn’t vote. So no matter which side came out on top, I wasn’t feeling good about it either way, so you can’t blame me.“

Both Trump voters and non-Trump voters see Trump’s win as a likely positive for the economy.

Many new Trump voters say they voted for Trump because of the economy, like a New Jersey man who said: “He mentioned specifically that he’s going to reduce taxes. Taxes and tips on income and property taxes is one of the major issues here in New Jersey. So that’s one. The economy as well. Inflation has been up mad from the last administration, so hopefully Trump can reduce prices on everyday needs.” Harris supporters, although not hopeful about Trump returning to the White House, also saw some economic benefit to his return, as a Nevada woman said: “If there’s any silver lining, it’s the chance that Trump’s focus on economic growth might lead to more job creation and support for certain industries that could benefit the workforce.” 

• Others thought Trump would be better on the world stage or didn’t think Harris was authentic, as a New York man said: “I think that Biden and the Dems for a long time have just been utterly bullied by the world’s worst actors for decades now. And just the very promise of Trump has made a lot of people around the world shut up and look at America in a new way.” A non-voter in Georgia also stated: “Kamala Harris just did not seem competent to me. She just seemed like she just didn’t know what she was talking about. She seemed like a very chameleonic politician…It just all seemed very dishonest.”

Views of the Democratic Party are deeply negative; many see them as weak, directionless, and performative.

New Trump voters offer a scathing critique of the Democratic Party, as a Pennsylvania man said: “In large talk, they kind of talk about how their actions would benefit them, but in practice it doesn’t really seem to play out that way.” A Virginia man viewed them as ineffective: “I feel like when Trump says he’s going to do something, he does it. Where the Democrats say they’re going to do something, it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.” A Georgia man described them as a “chameleon, it’s kind of like they always change their spots to suit whoever they’re talking to at the time.”

• The Republican brand is seen as strong and bully-like to these voters, as an Illinois man said he’d compare the Republican Party to a bear: “I just think of bears as being really strong-willed and then every time you see a video and someone’s messing with the bears kids, they go crazy on them, so it’s just very protective of like, I just kind of think of Republicans trying to be more supportive of the actual residents, the actual citizens, rather than just illegals.”

Voters say Trump’s next term priorities are the economy and immigration.

When asked what they see as his top priorities, a Wisconsin Trump voter said: “It’s definitely the economy, and then I got to imagine it’s immigration. Just like the first go-around, just trying to get us out of all the inflation and stuff like that would be probably number one would be my guess.” A non-voter in Pennsylvania also said: “getting the economy back on track and getting some revenge on some of his enemies.” A Harris supporter in Georgia said: “I believe Trump is ready to sign whatever is needed to implement the largest deportation in the US as he’s stated in the past.” The promise of mass deportation receives a mixed response, as many don’t believe it will be as extensive as Trump has promised. A Virginia Trump voter said: “I don’t think they’re ever going to deport 10 million people. They’re going to deport the convicts, the people that are committing crime, they’re going to be smart, they’re not dumb people in charge of this.”  A new Trump voter in Georgia said: “I don’t think I’d support ICE coming down and knocking down, going door to door and rounding up illegal immigrants, but I think that illegal immigrants [who] commit crimes should absolutely be deported.”  

• When it comes to concerns about the Trump presidency, a Harris voter in Pennsylvania said: “…there are [a] lot of ​individuals who ​he listens too ​that are very extreme in their view points and are liars.” When asked about his cabinet picks, voters expressed concern about some choices, as a new Trump voter in New York said: “I am concerned about Dr. Oz. I just know him from his TV show, that’s it. I know he’s a real life doctor, but I don’t know what made him pick him. And then I’m a little concerned about Kennedy.” A non-voter in Wisconsin also said: “Health and Human Service Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr., who is anti-vaccination… he is going to be making healthcare decisions… He has no qualifications again. Just concerns that he did a political favor.”