Trump’s Conviction Made These Voters Rethink Their Choice for President

Conversations with nearly 2,000 voters showed a small number had changed their minds about Donald J. Trump. Here’s what a few said about why.

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Former President Donald J. Trump was convicted last week of 34 felony counts after a weekslong trial in Manhattan. A study of nearly 2,000 voters by The New York Times after the verdict found more voters moving away from Mr. Trump than toward him.

By the time former President Donald J. Trump was convicted last week on 34 felony counts, the vast majority of people had made up their minds about him.

But a small sliver of Trump-ambivalent voters is out there — and in a close presidential election, they matter a lot.

For days, The New York Times has been listening to those voters process the news of Mr. Trump’s conviction, trying to measure the small shifts that could alter the contest between him and President Biden. Will Trump-leaning voters move firmly into his camp? Will Biden-leaning voters get off the fence?

A New York Times/Siena College Poll study of nearly 2,000 voters found modest good news for Mr. Biden. While the vast majority of people had not changed their position on the two men, more voters moved away from Mr. Trump than toward him.

Follow-up interviews with these post-verdict switchers offer a window into the minds of still-persuadable Americans. Despite the big events and dramatic headlines, these voters said they were generally not fans of either candidate, they were in no hurry to decide and they might not vote at all.

Here’s a look at how this small, but potentially crucial, group of voters is thinking about Mr. Trump’s conviction and how it might affect their choice for president in November:

Jack Lyons, Reno, Nev.

Mr. Lyons, 65, owns catering and welding companies and a boat storage facility. Earlier this year, he said he considered himself a Trump voter primarily because of his anger over Mr. Biden’s economic policies — even though he said he opposed Republican attempts to limit abortion rights.

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