Supporters wearing 'MAGA' caps gather ahead of a campaign rally featuring Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump in Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S., November 4, 2024. REUTERS/Emily Elconin
Sarah Burris is a long-time veteran of political campaigns, having worked as a fundraiser and media director across the United States. She transitioned into reporting while working for Rock the Vote, Future Majority and Wiretap Magazine, covering the Millennial Generation's perspective during the presidential elections. As a political writer, Burris has had bylines at CNN, Salon.com, BNR, and AlterNet and serves as a senior digital editor for RawStory.com.
A longtime Republican strategist and focus group expert revealed on Wednesday that those she's speaking with are repeating messages from Democrats on cuts to Medicaid.
Speaking to MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace, Sarah Longwell, also the publisher of The Bulwark, said that the message is sinking in: Republicans are cutting Medicaid to fund a tax cut for millionaires and billionaires.
"For once, the Democrats' messaging is breaking through, and I'm listening to voters in the focus groups. They are saying back what Democrats are putting out there, which is they are cutting your programs, programs that benefit you, regular voter, in order to give tax cuts to very rich people," said Longwell.
"That stuff lands, and it lands with a lot of these voters who are now part of this MAGA coalition," said Longwell. "And I hear voters all the time talk about how angry they are about it. And so, yeah, I think that as this continues, it's going to get less popular, not more popular."
She noted that the budget legislation, which President Donald Trump has called his "Big Beautiful Bill," is in the "sour spot with big parts of the MAGA coalition."
Wallace noted the statement from former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) behind closed doors, claiming that people will "get over it" when Medicaid is cut. His office walked it back, claiming he was just talking about undocumented people being cut off from Medicaid.