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Focus group of undecided voters breaks out into fiery debate over Trump conviction: He’s our ‘Tony Soprano’

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A focus group of undecided voters following former President Trump’s conviction last week revealed mixed reactions to the historic verdict, with many saying it wouldn’t be a decisive factor in their November decision.

A transcription of the focus group released Tuesday features 11 swing voters, all of whom have previously supported Trump and President Biden or Hillary Clinton at least once during 2016, 2020 and 2024, the New York Times writes.

The undecided voters were asked to discuss the impact of Trump’s guilty verdict in his New York trial and how it will affect their likelihood to vote for him. Some respondents said they were still “torn” after the verdict in the New York v. Trump records falsification trial, which made Trump the first-ever former president to be convicted of a crime.

SOME FORMER ‘NEVER TRUMP’ VOTERS NOW SAY THEY’RE BACKING GOP NOMINEE AFTER HIS CONVICTION

Donald Trump and Joe Biden

President Biden and Donald Trump are facing off for the second straight election. (Left: Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images, Right: (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images))

Others said the verdict did sway their decision come November. However, it wasn’t a decisive factor for many of them. 

“Inflation, the economy, immigration and abortion were the things that they said would ultimately determine their votes,” the Times notes. 

James, a 53-year-old from Iowa, commented, “They’ve been going after Trump since he was elected in 2016. Democracy is supposed to be about the will of the people. I don’t really think the majority of the people in this country wanted to see him prosecuted on these charges.” 

He later questioned whether the jury made the right decision in convicting Trump.

When other participants expressed their hesitancy to vote for a convicted felon, Jonathan, a 37-year-old from Florida, interjected, “You have to remember why Trump is the choice of millions of people. Trump represents a shock to the system. His supporters don’t hold him to the same ethical standards. He’s the antihero, the Soprano, the ‘Breaking Bad,’ the guy who does bad things, who is a bad guy but does them on behalf of the people he represents.”

“He’s the antihero, the Soprano, the ‘Breaking Bad,’ the guy who does bad things…but does them on behalf of the people he represents.”

— Jonathan, 37, from Florida

Hilary, 55, a social worker from California who voted for Trump in 2016, said that while she refuses to vote for a convicted felon, she is less than enthusiastic about casting a vote for Biden. Her dilemma appeared to be shared by others in the group as well.

“Despite my absolute concerns about the mental fitness and policy disagreements that I have with Joe Biden, I cannot envision casting a vote for Donald Trump,” she told the New York Times.

Donald Trump arrives to Trump Tower after being found guilty

Donald Trump arrives to Trump Tower, Thursday, May 30, 2024 after being found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. (Felipe Ramales for Fox News Digital)

She added, “I can envision casting a vote for Biden and then needing a very stiff drink.”

Frank, a 65-year-old from Arizona, replied, “The more I see Trump dealing with this, the less confident I am in him. A president’s got to be a step apart from just a good person. And I have a problem with his integrity and ethics. I’m swinging toward probably Biden. And I don’t like Biden. I don’t like him … got no ethics, either.”

BILL MAHER STRUGGLES WHETHER TRUMP SHOULD GO TO JAIL FOLLOWING GUILTY VERDICT: ‘MAGA NATION WILL GO NUTS’

Jonathan later doubled down on his Soprano metaphor in defense of the former president to the New York Times.

“I can envision casting a vote for Biden and then needing a very stiff drink.”

— Hillary, 55, California

“Trump is not a moral compass to a lot of his supporters. He’s the bad guy that’ll do things on our behalf. He’s the Tony Soprano or the Walter White … he’s an antihero.”

The group was more closely aligned when asked about the state of American democracy in light of the verdict.

“It’s on a dangerous road,” said Jorge, a California native who’s 52.

“Absolute hyperbolic chaos,” Logan, 31, a lawyer from Oklahoma, replied.

James Gandolfini sitting next to Edie Falco

387931 02: James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano and Edie Falco as Carmela Soprano seek counseling in HBO’s hit television series, “The Sopranos” (Year 3). (Photo by HBO) (Getty Images)

When voters were pressed on whether they had made up their minds, many of them still had reservations about throwing their support behind a specific candidate.

Jonathan, who repeatedly defended the former president during the focus group, said it comes down to the economy for him.

BIDEN MOCKS IDEA HE’S ‘PULLING THE STRINGS’ IN TRUMP PROSECUTION: ‘I DIDN’T KNOW I WAS THAT POWERFUL’

“As an independent, my No. 1 factor is economics. Full disclosure: Under Biden, I make more money. But under Trump, my money was worth more. And so that’s why I’m undecided. I don’t know who is the better side of the coin. Right now, I’m waiting to see who Trump chooses as his vice president,” he said.

Hillary maintained that she “can’t imagine voting for Trump. Obviously, [independent Robert F.] Kennedy [Jr.] is a nonfactor for me. Biden’s — oof. Oof. Got to love it,” she said.

John, 58, from Pennsylvania said the Trump verdict turned him away from President Biden.

“Well, I would say Biden now is off the table after today,” he said. “I think Biden looks ungracious and looks incredibly weak to me. I can envision a scenario where a lot of undecideds who maybe won’t pull the lever for Trump run to Robert Kennedy Jr.”

“I was very highly critical of Trump in 2019, and that’s what led to his first impeachment when he was trying to fish after and go after Biden politically. I thought that was a mistake. He lost my vote on that in 2020. But I don’t know. I guess I thought Joe Biden was above this,” John added.

Jorge agreed.

“Biden has dirty hands on this. He’s a very weak candidate right now, so they need to make Trump even weaker,” he said. 

“It seems like this verdict is going to energize people toward Trump. Maybe if they were apathetic or weren’t sure…it kind of lights a fire in them.”

— Shantel, 33, California

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Despite leaning toward Biden throughout the discussion, 33-year-old Shantel from Calfornia said she predicts a Trump victory in November.

“I think because I see more and more people kind of leaning toward Trump these days, as time goes on. It seems like this verdict is going to energize people toward Trump. Maybe if they were apathetic or weren’t sure, maybe it kind of lights a fire in them,” she said.



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For sale: A piece of California’s country music history

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The famed Buck Owens Crystal Palace, where music legends including Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam, Garth Brooks and a young Taylor Swift have played, is up for sale, with the foundation that runs the Bakersfield venue planning to list it for $7 million on Monday.

The nightclub, museum and steakhouse was owned by its namesake Buck Owens, the country music trailblazer who bucked the slick commercial melodies of Nashville for a distinctly West Coast twang. Owens opened the Crystal Palace in 1996, watching it become a premier venue for the biggest names in country music, including himself. Buck and the Buckaroos played there every Friday and Saturday night until his death in 2006.

Jim Shaw, a member of the Buckaroos and a director of the Buck Owens Private Foundation, said that after 28 years of running the famed venue, the Owens family plans to step back and find new owners amid a challenging business climate. The foundation said in a statement that “since Buck’s passing in 2006, we’ve tried to maintain the excellence that he expected, even as it became more and more difficult during these challenging times of increasing food and labor costs.”

The venue is not closing and scheduled events will continue as planned, Shaw said.

“It’s business as usual for now,” Shaw said. “Ideally, someone who wants to keep it exactly as it is will come forward.”

Owens’ youngest son, Johnny Owens, wrote on Facebook that the family’s hope “is that a buyer steps forward with a vision for the future and a reverence” for his father and the Bakersfield Sound.

The Crystal Palace, located on Buck Owens Boulevard, is a major tourism staple for Bakersfield. The 18,000-square-foot venue is next to the city’s downtown entrance.

“It’s the No. 1 tourist attraction in Bakersfield,” Shaw said. “There are people stepping forward and we are waiting to see what happens. I am getting a lot of phone calls. I’m anxious to see what happens.”



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2nd local radio host says they were given questions ahead of Biden interview

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A second local radio host on Saturday told ABC News that he was provided a list of questions in advance of his interview with President Joe Biden this week.

“Yes, I was given some questions for Biden,” Earl Ingram of CivicMedia told ABC News. Ingram, a prominent host of a Wisconsin radio station, interviewed Biden this week in the wake of his debate performance.

Ingram said he was given five questions and ended up asking four of them.

“I didn’t get a chance to ask him all the things I wanted to ask,” he said.

Ingram is the second interviewer who now says they were provided questions by Biden aides to ask the president this week. Earlier today, another local radio host who interviewed Biden this week told CNN she was given questions to ask Biden before the interview.

PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Sherman Middle School, on July 5, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Sherman Middle School, on July 5, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Sherman Middle School, on July 5, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“We do not condition interviews on acceptance of these questions, and hosts are always free to ask the questions they think will best inform their listeners,” the Biden campaign told ABC News on Saturday.

Ingram told ABC he didn’t see anything necessarily wrong with the practice. “To think that I was gonna get an opportunity to ask any question to the President of the United States, I think, is a bit more than anybody should expect,” he said.

He continued that he was grateful for the opportunity to interview Biden at all.

“Certainly the fact that they gave me this opportunity … meant a lot to me,” Ingram said.

MORE: Wealthy Democratic donors sound alarm over Biden staying in race

On CNN earlier today, Andrea Lawful-Sanders, the host of WURD’s “The Source,” said Biden officials provided her with a list of eight questions ahead of their interview with Biden.

“The questions were sent to me for approval; I approved of them,” she said.

“I got several questions — eight of them,” she continued. “And the four that were chosen were the ones that I approved.”

Responding to Lawful-Sanders, Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt said in a statement that it’s not “uncommon” for interviewees to share topics they would prefer. She noted that Lawful-Sanders was “free” to ask any questions she saw fit. She also noted that it was the campaign who sent over the questions and not the White House as other reports claim.

Lawful-Sanders did note in her interview with CNN that she ultimately “approved” the questions provided.

“It’s not at all an uncommon practice for interviewees to share topics they would prefer. These questions were relevant to news of the day – the president was asked about this debate performance as well as what he’d delivered for black Americans,” the statement said.

“We do not condition interviews on acceptance of these questions, and hosts are always free to ask the questions they think will best inform their listeners. In addition to these interviews, the President also participated in a press gaggle yesterday as well as an interview with ABC. Americans have had several opportunities to see him unscripted since the debate.”

A source familiar with the Biden booking operation told ABC News that moving forward they will “refrain” from offering suggested questions to interviewers.

“While interview hosts have always been free to ask whatever questions they please, moving forward we will refrain from offering suggested questions.”

2nd local radio host says they were given questions ahead of Biden interview originally appeared on abcnews.go.com



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President George W. Bush turns 78 years old

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George W. Bush, born on July 6, 1946, in New Haven, Connecticut, was the 43rd President of the United States.

Bush was born to parents Barbara Bush and former President George H. W. Bush. He has five siblings; Jeb Bush, Marvin Bush, Neil Bush, Dorothy Bush Koch and Pauline Robinson Bush. Pauline was diagnosed with leukemia and passed away at age three.

He was formerly the Republican Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000.

WHY FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH IS WINNING … THE POST-PRESIDENCY

Bush was first elected to the White House in November 2000, and officially began his first term as president in January 2001, after he defeated Democrat Al Gore during the presidential election. Bush was reelected to his second term as the incumbent in November 2004, when he prevailed over Democrat John Kerry, and led the United States until January 2009 before handing over his torch to former President Barack Obama.

Bush married Laura Bush on November 5, 1977, the day after her 31st birthday, in her hometown of Midland, Texas. The couple were engaged in September 1977, and married less than two months later in a Methodist church. Bush and Laura met at a barbecue, and he took her to play mini-golf on their first date. 

The Bush’s share twin daughters, Barbara Pierce Bush and Jenna Bush Hager, born on November 25, 1981. Today, the couple also share four grandchildren; Mila, Poppy, Hal and Cora.

GEORGE BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY ISSUE STATEMENT ON AFGHANISTAN WITH MESSAGE TO US TROOPS, VETERANS

During his presidency, Bush cared for his English springer spaniel, Spot Fetcher, who accompanied him to meetings in the Oval Office and on adventures throughout the White House. The dog was born to his parent’s dog, Millie.

On September 11, 2001, less than one year into Bush’s presidency, the Twin Towers in New York City were attacked by terrorists when airplanes hit both buildings, causing a collapse and thousands of lives lost. At the time, Bush was reading to elementary-aged children at a school in Sarasota, Florida. He was calmly and quietly advised of the attacks and quickly returned to Washington, where he was briefed alongside Vice President Dick Cheney.

Bush was regarded highly for his poise while learning of the attacks and for his demonstration of patriotism and leadership in the uncertain days and weeks following the hijackings of multiple planes on the day that shook America to her core.

SADDAM CAPTURED ‘LIKE A RAT’ IN RAID

On December 30, 2003, during Bush’s first term as POTUS, Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi leader and executor of the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., was captured by the American military

In the early morning of December 30, 2006, during Bush’s presidency, Hussein was hanged and executed for his crimes against humanity. Americans across the nation celebrated the death of Hussein and applauded Bush for promising the country he would take him out and following through.

While Bush was regarded for his dealings with the terrorist attacks, the signing of No Child Left Behind Act and the Patriot Act and the creation of the United States Department of Homeland Security, many Americans were unhappy with the sanctions of interrogation techniques, the war in Iraq and taxes while he was president.

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