Independent voters surprise pollsters with reactions to Trump's debate performance: “I didn't expect that”

Reactions from a Fox News focus group during Tuesday's presidential debate showed that independent voters and Republicans overlapped in their support for former President Trump's immigration policies.

During the ABC News presidential debate, Trump took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing the Biden-Harris administration of “destroying the fabric of our country” through the influx of illegal immigrants.

The former president blamed the government for the rise in “migrant crime” – a view that seemed to resonate not only with Republicans but also with a large number of independent respondents.

The focus group consisted of seven Democrats, five independents, and five Republicans, and was represented by blue, yellow, and red lines. When Trump spoke of rising crime by illegal immigrants, the yellow line, which monitored the response of independents, rose dramatically in Trump's favor and overlapped with the Republicans' red line.

FOX NEWS VOTER PANEL: HARRIS WON THE DEBATE

Lee Carter, a pollster and president of Maslansky + Partners, said she was shocked that independent voters were aligning so closely with Republicans on the issue.

“I was really, really surprised because the intensity of independent support for Donald Trump was there and I didn't expect it,” Carter said Wednesday on “The Faulkner Focus.”

“The independents are very much in line with Republicans. They're looking for a few things. They're looking for answers on immigration, they're looking for answers on the economy. They want to hear that things are getting better for them, and they also want a change from what's happening right now,” Carter continued. “One of the main things they wanted from Kamala Harris last night was how she's going to do things differently.”

VOTERS REACT TO TRUMP BY DESCRIBING HE “TAKEN A BULLET IN THE HEAD” BECAUSE OF LEFT-WING RHETORIC

Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris face off in their first debate on Tuesday. (Simultaneous broadcast of the presidential debate from ABC News to Fox News)

An independent voter from New York who attended a voter roundtable on Wednesday told moderator Harris Faulkner: “You don't have to look further than the five boroughs to see the impact of the refugee crisis.”

“When the moderators asked her directly about it, Kamala didn't even attempt to defend the administration's policies. She can't do that,” he added. “It's indefensible, so she changed her mind… but they completely rewrote Trump's entire immigration policy in the first year. I would have liked to have seen an explanation for the country as to why they did that.”

Carter then gave other examples – including on fracking, abortion and the economy – where the reactions of independents were consistent with those of Republicans.

Faulkner said the election results suggest Republicans should “pay more attention” to unaffiliated voters.

“I think independents are following Trump's reactions in this direction because it's obvious what's happening across the country in these cities,” said a Republican voter from New Jersey.

“Every day we see destruction…crime…every day our safety is threatened and I think there is no hiding from that and I think it is becoming more and more obvious and something has to change.”

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Trump blames the current administration for the rise in “migrant crime.” (Win McNamee/Getty)

Independents expressed dissatisfaction with Trump when he spoke about the coronavirus pandemic, but both Democrats and Republicans consistently gave the former president more support when he spoke about the pandemic and the economy.

However, all three voting blocs recorded an increase in Support for Trump when he said he would “significantly cut taxes and build a great economy like I have done before.”

Fox News' Aubrie Spady and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.