Wisconsin voters speak on Trump, Biden and America’s divisions in wake of shooting

(MILWAUKEE, W.I.) — It had been less than 48 hours since the attempted assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, and for four Wisconsin voters, it was yet another sign of how divided the nation has become.

Valori Schmidt, a Republican living in Milwaukee, described the shooting at the former president’s Pennsylvania rally as a “wake-up call.”

“Unfortunately, it wasn’t necessarily a surprise because the climate of hatred has escalated to such a high level,” Schmidt said. “The wake up call is we must take the temperature down. We must become more civil, and we must start being factual and not not name calling and just saying awful things about one another.”

Next to her, Gary Berns, a fellow Milwaukeean who votes Democrat, replied: “I can’t disagree with that.”

Berns and Schmidt, joined by other local residents Julie Buckholt and Charlene Abughrin, sat down with ABC News at Miss Katie’s Diner just as the Republican National Convention was kicking off in their hometown.

At times, their conversation showed clear divides between the parties — especially when it came to the two presidential candidates vying for their votes come November: President Joe Biden and former president Trump.

“As far as the loudness and the anger calling, I mean he brings that on himself,” Berns said of Trump. Schmidt later countered that Trump, “has been vilified as a Hitler, as an anti-American, as an extremist … it’s been nonstop from all aspects.”

Abughrin, a former Democrat who has supported Trump since 2016, jumped into say Americans should be able to express their views without it devolving into dangerous scenarios.

“We have freedom of speech. This is America, right? And so with that all of us being adults, we should be able to agree to disagree without it leading to violent acts like an adult,” she said.

Trump 2016 versus Trump 2024

Abughrin said Trump is “better” than he was eight years ago because he’s learned from his past experiences and will be able to be more effective.

“He’s going in it with eyes open this time,” she said. “And so I think he’ll just be definitely do that much more for the community.”

Schmidt, also a Republican, had a similar view.

“He wasn’t a politician when he got in, and certainly, there’s probably things he would say, ‘Oh, maybe I won’t do that again,'” she said. “But I tell you what, Saturday night did one thing that people should have taken note. He got up because he wanted the people to know. ‘I’m okay.’ We’re in this. … I thought it showed his leadership and his faculties, I mean it was unbelievable.”

Berns and Buckholt, meanwhile, expressed concern about a possible second Trump term.

“I think Donald Trump is a worst candidate,” Berns said, “because if he’s gonna be elected with a stack Supreme Court, he knows what you can get away with in the courts, what the back and forth. So I just think it’d be a terrible thing.”

Buckholt said she agreed with Berns, and explicitly expressed concern about Project 2025 — a sweeping plan to overhaul the federal government proposed by a closely aligned conservative group.

“I believe it’s going to be worse for all of us,” she said.

Biden’s age and the CNN debate

Both Berns and Buckholt, the two Democrats, conceded that they believe Biden is too old to run for office.

“Yes I believe that he is too old. But I also believe he’s still able to do the job,” said Buckholt. “I believe that Trump is also too old. And if we talk about mental capacity I believe that [Biden] still there mentally and can do the job.”

The group then engaged in back and forth over Biden’s age and whether it impacts his mental fitness.

“He had a bad debate,” Bukcholt said of Biden’s performance. “He wasn’t feeling well, we all have bad days … I think he’s an honest man, I really do. And we need an honest man in office.”

America’s divisiveness

“How could we become less divided? That’s a really tough question,” Berns said.

“I think it is turning down the temperature,” he continued. “I think it’s no more name calling. It’s no more telling if the other person is elected, the world’s gonna end. I think we need to go back to talking policies, and not nothing else. That’s what matters. I think that will help.”

Everyone appeared in agreement.

Abughrin said she “100%” agreed that Americnas should “stick to the policy, stick to the topics, no more the mudslinging.”

Buckholt said the country’s become so fraught that sometimes families can’t talk to each other.

“Families are divided,” she said. “You can’t even have family get-togethers because you have arguments and fights, people walking out. So I also think that this needs to start at home with families and they need to listen to each other.”

“We need to stop trying to absolutely portray people as someone that people — all people — would be afraid to meet on the sidewalk,” said Schmidt. “We just need to get to the issues and verify our sources research, do not be a puppet for what you’ve heard or someone’s said or even a segment ont he news.”