These men voted for President Trump. They have very different views of how he's doing

"Gerald, 51, is very happy with the president. "Listen, I am so pro-Trump, people just don't even understand," said Gerald, sitting at the kitchen table he and his wife share with their blended family after a long day at work as a truck driver. "The dude is amazing because he's not following the script." He gives Trump an A++ for his performance on the job."

"When asked the same question, Wally, 44, gave Trump an F. "Like, what do we have that we can hang our hat on right now?" Wally asked rhetorically. "We have higher gas prices." Gerald and Wally are among a dozen swing voters in swing states who have agreed to regularly speak with NPR over the next three years as part of a project we are calling Swing Shift."

"In political reporting, polls provide a snapshot in time. Focus groups and interviews in diners are typically one offs, where we can't delve too deeply into what any one voter is thinking. Swing Shift is an ongoing conversation with a group of voters who could be pivotal in both this year's midterms and the 2028 presidential election. The participants live in swing states and don't always vote for the same party."

"The participants live in swing states and don't always vote for the same party. Most of them voted for Biden in 2020 and then Trump in 2024. A couple swung in the other direction. At some point in the past decade, they have all voted for Trump. "How they vote is how America will vote," said pollster Frank Luntz. In a polarized country, these are the people who help decide elections."

Gerald and Wally, Black men in suburban Atlanta, both voted for Democrats and supported Joe Biden in 2020, then switched to voting for Donald Trump in 2024. Gerald expressed strong approval, praising Trump for not following expected political scripts and giving him an A++ for performance. Wally gave Trump an F, questioning what positive outcomes justify support and citing higher gas prices. They are part of a group of swing voters in swing states who regularly speak with NPR over three years as part of an ongoing project. The project aims to understand how these voters think and what issues shape their decisions, since polls and one-time interviews offer limited insight into evolving views.

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