‘This guy has lost his mind since I voted for him’: Can these ex-Trump voters swing it for Biden?

Conventional political wisdom regarding Donald Trump states that the people who voted for him in 2016 and 2020 aren’t likely to go for any Democrat this time around — especially not Joe Biden.

But a prominent group of anti-Trump Republicans believes those two-time Trump voters are best positioned to convince others in the GOP to vote to re-elect Biden. And they’re ready to spend big to do so.

Earlier this month, a group called Republican Voters Against Trump rolled out what they are describing as a $50 million multi-platform advertising campaign. That campaign is designed both to troll the twice-impeached, four times-indicted ex-president and to genuinely reach out to his most loyal supporters.

One such ad ran earlier this month on two prominent Fox News programmes — Fox & Friends in the morning and Jesse Watters Tonight in the evening — and featured an ex-Trump supporter called “Chuck”.

In the ad, Chuck says he holds Trump “completely, 100 per cent … accountable for the insurrection at the Capitol” and vows to “not ever support or vote for Donald Trump” again.

“I will vote Democrat. I can’t believe I’m saying it, but I will. I will vote for Joe Biden,” he adds.

Such a bold declaration from a former Trump supporter is often met with skepticism from both sides of the American political spectrum.

The Independent showed the 30-second spot with “Chuck” to a former Democratic activist who volunteered on Hillary Clinton’s doomed 2016 campaign. The ex-activist  — who asked not to be identified by name because they no longer work in politics — responded with an animated GIF of the Peanuts character Charlie Brown attempting to kick a football held by his sister Lucy, only to have her pull it away at the last minute. Asked to