Achilles Heel
Last week, opening a poll, turning pages I read about voters in a NC district: Trump’s approval rating was Approve 51%, Disapprove 47% – not bad. But buried between the lines was a subtle hitch: The voters who approved of Trump split into two groups – 70% liked both Trump’s policies and his character. But 30% liked his policies but not his character. Why does that matter?
That second group is ambivalent. They see things they like but also see things – about Trump – they don’t like. What that means is simple: Those voters could tilt against Trump. And, if that happens, his approval could plummet to 35%.
There was also a generic ballot question in the poll: If the election were held today would you vote for the Republican candidate or the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate? The Republican trailed by 2 points – in a district Trump won by 7 points.
More troubling: One fourth of the people who said they’d vote for the Republican candidate also said they ‘dislike’ Trump’s character. That should scare the hell out of Republicans. Those ambivalent voters could switch sides and vote for a Democrat. Or simply not vote. And that could turn the off-year election into a disaster for Republicans.
Last year, running for president, both Biden and Trump had character problems. Biden’s problems were different from Trump’s but just as toxic. Making a Hobson’s Choice undecided voters picked Trump. But Biden’s gone now. And Trump’s character’s out front and center.
When Trump calls Putin ‘great’ then calls him ‘crazy,’ sells bitcoins in U.A.R. to make millions, that compounds his character problems.
Of course, Trump’s brilliant when it comes to handling the media: The minute one of those problems lands on the front page he quickly pivots leading the press in another direction, away from the problem: Last week, using his ‘Big Beautiful Budget Bill,’ he got the press to stop writing about the $400 million jet he took from Qatar. But character’s still Trump’s Achilles Heel. And if Democrats figure that out they may turn this into a brutal election – where Republicans pay a price.
Achilles Heel
Last week, opening a poll, turning pages I read about voters in a NC district: Trump’s approval rating was Approve 51%, Disapprove 47% – not bad. But buried between the lines was a subtle hitch: The voters who approved of Trump split into two groups – 70% liked both Trump’s policies and his character. But 30% liked his policies but not his character. Why does that matter?
That second group is ambivalent. They see things they like but also see things – about Trump – they don’t like. What that means is simple: Those voters could tilt against Trump. And, if that happens, his approval could plummet to 35%.
There was also a generic ballot question in the poll: If the election were held today would you vote for the Republican candidate or the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate? The Republican trailed by 2 points – in a district Trump won by 7 points.
More troubling: One fourth of the people who said they’d vote for the Republican candidate also said they ‘dislike’ Trump’s character. That should scare the hell out of Republicans. Those ambivalent voters could switch sides and vote for a Democrat. Or simply not vote. And that could turn the off-year election into a disaster for Republicans.
Last year, running for president, both Biden and Trump had character problems. Biden’s problems were different from Trump’s but just as toxic. Making a Hobson’s Choice undecided voters picked Trump. But Biden’s gone now. And Trump’s character’s out front and center.
When Trump calls Putin ‘great’ then calls him ‘crazy,’ sells bitcoins in U.A.R. to make millions, that compounds his character problems.
Of course, Trump’s brilliant when it comes to handling the media: The minute one of those problems lands on the front page he quickly pivots leading the press in another direction, away from the problem: Last week, using his ‘Big Beautiful Budget Bill,’ he got the press to stop writing about the $400 million jet he took from Qatar. But character’s still Trump’s Achilles Heel. And if Democrats figure that out they may turn this into a brutal election – where Republicans pay a price.