The clock is ticking. It’s getting closer. Only 1,118 days until Election Day in 2020.
So, naturally pollsters thoughts turn to Nov. 3, 2020 and how the most clickable, news-making political personality in a long while might do.
Oh, sure, worry warts and precision proponents will suggest a few things might occur to affect voters’ decision between now and then.
Little things like, oh, say, Donald Trump being 71 years old and overweight. Possible scandal and war. Homeland terrorist attacks. The economy tanking again. The FBI probe. The Republican Party dumping him. Trump’s own desire to return to private celebrityhood. His wife deciding they should return to the penthouse.
And, OK, Trump’s barely 19% of the way through a first term. So, even though most Americans seem to have an opinion about this man, the YouGov/Economist polling folks asked Republicans: Do you want Donald Trump to run for re-election in 2020?
Fully 59% of the Republicans say they do.
However, 41% say No (23%) or Unsure (18%).
It’s remarkable in a way that many Americans remain unsure, given the negative media coverage and his job approval ratings hovering around 40%.
So, what else did respondents tell those pollsters? Half of the 1,500 participants say they oppose Trump’s wall on the Mexican border, 36% support it. Fifty-seven percent say illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay, keep their jobs and work toward citizenship. Seventy-seven percent say this president “reacts and speaks without thinking very much.” (23% say he considers carefully before commenting.)
They also are big on Trump compromising to get things done with congressional conservatives (62%), with moderate Republicans (71%) and with Democrats (67%). But only 40% thinks Trump compromises to get things done.
Forth-four percent say they believe the recent spate of hurricanes is somehow tied to global climate change, 40% just a natural cycle.
Ninety-eight percent rank the Economy as a Very or Somewhat important issue. Heatlhcare came in at 94%, terrorism at 86%.
Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are tied closely together with 40% having a favorable opinion of the president and 39% his partner. Mitch McConnell has the least favorable approval (17%), worse even than Paul Ryan (24%). And both GOP leaders come in beneath Nancy Pelosi (29%) and Chuck Schumer (26%).
Most popular positive words used to describe President Trump: Arrogant (64%), Bold and Hypocritical, both at 43%. Forty-six percent would not use the word Experienced (46%) to describe Trump followed by Honest at 44%.
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