Donald Trump would be on track to win a historic landslide in November ā if so many US voters didnāt find him personally repugnant.
Roughly 53 percent of Americans have anĀ unfavorable opinionĀ of the former president. And yet, when asked about Trumpās ability to handle key issues ā or the impact of hisĀ policiesĀ āĀ voters routinelyĀ giveĀ the Republican candidate higher marks thanĀ President Biden.
In aĀ YouGov surveyĀ released this month, Trump boasted an advantage over Biden on 10 of the 15 issues polled. On the three issues that votersĀ routinely nameĀ as top priorities ā theĀ economy, immigration, and inflation ā respondents said that Trump would do a better job by double-digit margins.
Meanwhile, in aĀ recent New York Times/Siena College poll,Ā 40 percent of voters said that Trumpās policies had helped them personally, while just 18 percent said the same of Biden. If Americans could elect a normal human being with Trumpās reputation for being ātoughā on immigration and good at economics, they would almost certainly do so.
Biden is fortunate that voters do not have that option. But to erase TrumpāsĀ small but stubborn leadĀ in the polls, the president needs to erode his GOP rivalās advantage on the issues.
I donāt think GOP voters really care about policy at this point. They have voted against their own interests all the time. Iāve seen it 1st hand working at the SNAP office in my state. People voting/worshiping guys like DeSantis while he makes it harder for them to get food or help.
The phrase Iāve heard in the past is a Republican would eat shit if it meant a liberal would have to smell their breath.
These people hate Dems and liberals so much theyāll vote for the most vile people. They just donāt care as long as a Dem isnāt in power.
But itās not about the core voters that always vote for the same party. Itās about the people that are switching and still (somehow) unsure. And they can be reached.