Why undecided voters are torn between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden: Political strategist

American voters who remain undecided about the upcoming presidential election are weighing their dislike of President Donald Trump against their concern about Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s policies, longtime Republican pollster and strategist Frank Luntz told CNBC on Friday.

“They are nervous about Trump’s persona and they are nervous about Joe Biden’s policies, and that’s what is holding them back,” Luntz said on “Squawk Box.” “It’s not that they can’t see a difference between the two candidates. They see a tremendous difference.”

But with 18 days until the Nov. 3 election, Luntz said the task before voters is making up their mind about which of those differences is most important: “The fact they really don’t like Donald Trump as a person or they are really scared about what Joe Biden might do if he became president?”

Luntz’s comments Friday came after he held a 16-person focus group with undecided voters following Trump and Biden’s opposing town halls Thursday night. The events were in place of the presidential debate that was supposed to be held that night. The canceled debate was initially moved to a virtual format after Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis, but the president objected to that format. ABC News booked Biden for a town hall instead, and then NBC News later scheduled one with Trump to start at the same time on the same day.

Luntz, who thought the first cantankerous debate between Trump and Biden encouraged people not to vote, said Friday he did not believe the town halls helped deliver more clarity to undecided Americans. At this point in the race, he said that could spell bad news for Trump.

“Our history tells us, that in the end, if they haven’t decided to support the incumbent, that they end up 2-to-1 supporting the challenger,” said Luntz.

Trump’s economic message is critical, given it’s one issue where polling has routinely shown voters trust him more than Biden.

Indeed, one member of Luntz’s focus group who identified as a financial advisor specifically expressed concerns about Biden’s tax proposals. Yet Luntz said the president failed to deliver a compelling economic case Thursday night. He said undecided voters are looking for more than vague platitudes about how well the economy will be again after it digs out of the coronavirus-induced hole.

“They remember the economy before Covid, and they give Trump a lot of credit for that but they want to know the details. How can he do it again under this current circumstance?” Luntz said. “They don’t want these generalities. They want to know exactly what he’s doing to do. They’re never going to endorse him in his persona.”

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[MaryRose]

undecided= i dont want to lose my job and friends

[ballerboi]

Sometimes I click on these videos to look at the like-dislike ratio

[lanelederer]

"undecided" = My vote for Trump is none of your business

[nstovah]

Yeah, this pollster is definitely “unbiased”
Give me a break

[megamotor]

This election is not about Trump or Biden. It is about how many Americans put their faith in corporate media.

[littleteethkeith]

Let’s be honest at this point who the hell is undecided?

[theferryman]

If your undecided based on personality or actual policies, you may not be the best person to vote for President

[deadrepublic]

If you're undecided at this point....dont vote.

[dawntgslave]

No one wants to see their taxes increased but frankly, Trump's policies across the board are horrible.

[compass_Matt]

At this point you're either voting for the USA, or you're voting to turn this country into the USSA.

[mayssm]

If anyone is undecided at this point, I have to question: 1. Their intelligence. 2. How much of a bubble are they in that they are completely ignorant of everything in the world around them. 3. Their decision-making ability. Does it take them 2 hours to decide what to have for breakfast every day?

[mumi]

If you still don't know whom to vote for, you are not paying attention or are living on Mars.

[themadcatter]

I voted yesterday, one single Texas vote won’t matter but oh well... it’s done.

[yourevilhalf]

Nobody's undecided. nobody's torn between presidents. If somebody does happen to be undecided then pay them no attention because they were not planning on voting in the first place.

[mattwood]

Why are they not talking about Scully being suspended?

[Locoandchooch]

I don’t make much, $70k last year. But I saw an increase in what I bring home. And my co-pay for scripts went from $57 a month to $16 a month. So don’t tell me that tax deal is for rich only. More lies.

[benmc]

Let's just admit that these people aren't deciding who to vote for, they are deciding whether or not to vote at all.

[djsgravely]

Anybody who’s truly undecided by now isn’t smart enough to vote in the first place.

[cqdgqlj]

Are there really undecided voters...or just people who want attention?

[MEDGAR]

Why are Americans opposed to a 3rd Party candidate? Why does the media only show us a two party system when there are other candidates, possibly good candidates? I'm just curious at this point because Trump and Biden are not good for America, and we as a nation know this, but we only focus on these two.