Hello everyone and welcome to the Focus Group podcast.

I'm Sarah Longwell, publisher of the bulwark.

And this week, we're going to talk about swing voters again, because as you know, we've spent the last year periodically taking the pulse of

these swing voters on the Trump administration. And let me tell you, what a difference a year makes.

The swing voters we're going to hear today are about as sour on Trump as they have been since he

retook office. But the reasons why are varied and sometimes unexpected, but there's a lot less, hey, we need to wait

and see, which is what we got most through 2025. And so I want to talk about the reactions to

the recent developments in Venezuela. And it's not going to surprise you that what is happening

right now is not the America First that some people voted for.

My guest today is Jonathan Chait, staff writer at the Atlantic and favorite of mine to read,

friend of the bork. Jonathan, how you doing? Good and likewise to you, and I'm so excited to hear

that swing voters are good now. I've spent years listening to the show,

and every time I hear the swing voters, I want to first kill myself and then kill them.

Yes. And I'm excited for a different experience. Yeah, you are in good standing with our audience.

I would say that's an extremely common reaction is anger at an extreme level at folks, especially the swing voters, because

unlike the Maga Faithful, they're like just rational enough. Like they've thought it through.

Like what makes them swing voters is that they've given it more than just a tribal thought

and where they land is very frustrating to people. Yes.

But first, before we listen to the voters, I want to just ask you a couple of things as an

observer of politics.

Because as we've expected, the second Trump administration has been a torrent of bad news,

ridiculous, blundering, outrages, and things that just make you go, what is happening right now?

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