The GOP Still Loves Trump, Here’s Why
The left cannot understand why, despite his legal woes, the GOP is still very much Trump’s party. Dems, and even some independents, cannot wrap their collective heads around why the GOP cannot escape from Donald Trump, even if they wanted to. That is because the left simply does not understand Trump, Trump voters, nor what weak candidate they actually have in Joe Biden.”
For just the briefest of moments, following the Republican Party’s lackluster showing in the November 2022 midterms, it seemed like the GOP was finally ready to move on from Donald Trump. It was assumed that the losses of Trump-backed candidates in winnable swing-state races would be the last straw for rank-and-file Republicans, who voiced their frustration that Trump had caused their party to underperform in yet another national election.
But nine months later, the former president has only tightened his grip on the GOP, leaving little doubt that it is still Donald Trump’s Republican Party. The latest national polling underscores Trump’s dominance. He leads the full GOP primary field with 61 percent of the vote, putting him nearly 50 points ahead of the second and third-place contenders: businessman Vivek Ramaswamy with 13 percent and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) with 12 percent. None of the other dozen-or-so candidates eclipse single digits.
The intensity of Trump’s support is just as significant to note, as 56 percent of Republican primary voters say they will “definitely” vote for him, while 19 percent probably will — versus 11 percent who probably will not, and 11 percent who definitely will not.
Why Trump’s Grip on the Party Is Unwavering
What is driving Trump’s ever-increasing strength? In addition to GOP voters’ genuine fondness for Trump and his policies — nine in 10 approve of the job he did as president, including 2 in 3 who “strongly” approve — his campaign’s successful messaging around his legal challenges has certainly played a role, with Trump having been indicted in four separate cases, both state and federal, on 91 counts this year. Rather than hurting him, the arrests and indictments have only helped the Trump juggernaut.
Trump has used the charges to reinforce his core positioning as a political martyr facing unfair persecution by the establishment and has clearly struck a responsive chord: 51 percent of Republican primary voters say the recent indictments have made them more likely to support Trump in the primary, while only 17 percent are now less likely to support him.
Yet, as said earlier, it seemed that after the midterm debacle, the GOP was ready to consider someone other than Trump. What’s changed, why now ?It’s not only Trump’s legal persecution.
One of the clearest explanations for this shift is the increasing weakness of President Joe Biden, who GOP voters now view as “eminently beatable,” according to an analysis by pollster Kristin Soltis Anderson, based on focus groups she conducted with Republican voters in early primary states this month. Separately, Republican strategist Josh Holmes recently noted that “the perception that Biden is the weakest possible candidate has lowered the Trump electability question in the calculus of [Republican] primary voters.”
The media – especially conservative media – has certainly played a role in driving this shift with their consistent focus on Biden’s diminishing mental faculties and old age. According to data collected by Media Matters, in the week following Biden’s official campaign launch, the three largest cable news outlets mentioned the president’s age nearly 600 times. Fox News alone mentioned Biden’s age 236 times, at least one mention every single hour. For reference, the age of Trump, who is nearly as old as Biden, was mentioned only nine times by Fox News in that week.
To the dismay of those on the left, based on the trajectory of the race, taken together with both quantitative and qualitative research on the Republican electorate, it is abundantly clear that Trump’s overwhelming strength in the primary race cannot be separated from Biden’s perceived weakness.
Yup, it’s over and you guys don’t even have to try.
Of course, we beat you in the popular vote in 2016 and 2020.
We beat you in 2018. We beat you for President in 2020. We took you in 2022 in the midterms. We beat almost every special election out there and we’re pushing back on bans via State laws all the time.
But, it’s over and you guy’s don’t even have to try.
Then again, if you look at the calendar and the money, you might see a number of non-campaign court dates and a fuck of a lot of money that could be spent campaigning for Trump and other Republicans going down the shitter instead.
Keep the faith, looks like you got the nationals in the bag.
The votes ain’t counted yet. Are millions of us would refuse to be governed by commies
If the votes are counted right and not cheated votes, Trump will win.
Michael, they were counted correctly last time. This BIG LIE that somehow the Democrats pulled off the perfect crime that Republicans, with their vast intelligence network, money, lawyers, and guns, have NEVER been able to prove any significant cheating that would have changed the outcome.
You have entered the “you can’t fix stupid” zone. Please research all the failed court cases, all the failed recounts, all the indictments, because at this point, I am thinking if Moses came down from a burning bush with tablets etched: IT WAS FREAKING FAIR, you would turn to God and say: “Nah, it’s the Italian satellites……”
Most of the 1.6 convicted now blame Trump and THE BIG LIE; by Spring I am pretty sure more convictions will drop and you will have another touchpoint to indicate you are batshit crazy if you continue this line of reasoning.
Many in this country REFUSE to be lead by senile perverted criminal old men who are actually being told by those not even voted for, a VP who has done absolutely ZERO and simply a poor black representation, and an admin8stratuon made up of career criminals of socialists, communists, marxists, freaks, degenerates who have the worst and lack morals, character, integrity of any group of people in this country while letting criminals, terrorists, and disease ridden garbage into our country!
This entire administration should be facing capital punishment for what they have done to this country and its citizens by not protecting it! Who needs terrorists to come in and bomb things or kill when the country is doing a fine job without their help and the whole world knows it. Look at the disgusting universities of today alone. What an utter disgusting array of cultural garbage!
Here is an Idea, make people get off their asses and vote in person.
No voting by mail unless disabled ONLY.
Must have a state drivers license.
Democrat’s will do anything to keep voting crooked. Ask Hillary.
I know in 2016 when I went to vote for Trump, they handed me a ballot were he was not even on it?
I had to ask, then the woman made a face at me and gave me a Republican Ballot.
Dems will do anything to keep failed politicians in power that tell the people lies.
Darren, in a Presidential election, there is no party-specific ballots.
Chance are it was a primary, chances are the worker was a Republican. She probably made a face because you have an attitude and an ugly face :>) Chances are Democrats had nothing to do with your issues.
Here is an Idea, make people vote the easiest way possible so we can garner as many votes as possible.
Have our bipartisan partners get off their asses and vote any way known: in person machine, in person ballot, mail, mail drop box, internet, whatever.
I vote by mail, have been doing it since 2006, just try to take my mail vote from me. I would like to vote by internet; good enough for finance, retail, why can’t we build a secure system for voting? Instead, some assholes want to return to 1776, paper, quill, and ink. Then they will let AI tell them who to write down and vote for…… You can force me to ballot but you won’t like where I submit it.
You can authenticate anyway you want to, just don’t change it three months before the vote
“Democrat’s will do anything to keep voting crooked. Ask Hillary.” Hillary won the popular, lost the electoral, the election was rigged by the Russian disinformation, stolen information, crooked information campaign against Hillary and welcomed, endorsed, even data was supplied to the Russians by Team Trump. Either prove the fucking lies you keep telling or just shut the fuck up already. Feckless, impotent, pos to keep saying and saying these LIES. Prove one. Come on, I dare you.
IF YOU CAN PROVE WIDESPREAD CHEATING ON THE 2016 OR 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS AT A LEVEL OF SIGNIFICANCE TO THE OUTCOME, FRANK STETSON WILL STOP POSTING HERE FOREVER.
I’m still posting…..
Assuming Trump and Biden are the candidates in 2024 then we are likely voting for Trump’s VP, since I expect Trump cannot hold the office of President because of the 14th amendment.
My hope is that Biden dumps his ego and bows out of the race, opening it up for a much younger person. I’m not optimistic that Biden will do that.
Trump has won over many American citizens who may not even like the pre-president Donald Trump. The reason is that Trump showed that he is willing to put the U.S. first in international affairs while making deals with potential enemies instead of creating war conditions. Trump has proven to be willing to work more for the benefit of all American citizens rather than just for blocs of easily bought votes from special interest groups. Trump has earned his respect as president.
That’s actually pretty good IMO, Robin. Of course the other side is he pissed off all of our allies who do not respect or trust Trump, for good reasons. I mean ALWAYS putting the US first is not the best international partnership tool. Making deals to duck wars with enemies, and they aren’t potential, they are enemies, does not seem strong. And under Trump, I pay more taxes than before Trump so he did not work to my benefit instead courting votes from those other guys like the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, radical right extremists, rural America and big business instead of courting my vote.
But your summary is very good and I can see your reason for support. Just not sure anyone who purposefully puts themselves in the position to have that mug shot taken, in that way, does not seem to be looking for respect from the majority of Americans.