Republicans Are Screwed As Trump Support Nearly Doubles After Attacking John McCain

Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 06:08 pm

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The Republican attempt to get rid of Donald Trump after he attacked John McCain has backfired, as Trump’s support has almost doubled with primary voters.

According to YouGov, Trump is still on the rise after attacking John McCain:

Donald Trump’s rise in the Republican contest for the 2016 presidential nomination doesn’t appear to have been slowed much – at least not yet – by the recent controversy over his criticisms of Arizona Sen. John McCain’s war record last weekend. In fact, although Trump’s favorable ratings among Republicans have declined, he is still ahead – and far ahead – when Republicans are asked to choose among the 16 currently announced candidates.

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But there is clearly a core group of registered voters who identify as Republicans that has coalesced around Trump’s tough talk and proposals. He is even more clearly in first place than he was two weeks ago when Republicans are asked to choose among the current candidates. Two weeks ago, in the Economist/YouGov Poll, 27% of registered voters who identified as Republicans chose Trump as their first or second choice for the nomination. This week, 28% say he is their first choice, and another 10% rank him second.

The number of Republicans who list Trump as their first choice has gone from 15% to 28%. Trump’s attack on McCain moved people who listed him as their second choice more firmly into his column. Republicans appear to have miscalculated and made Donald Trump more appealing by affirming his outsider status with far-right conservatives.

The party did lower Trump’s approval ratings, but it appears that Republican voters don’t care if their chosen candidate is popular. The Republican Party threw everything they could at Trump, and the result is that the racist billionaire is even more popular with voters.

As long as Trump’s poll numbers remain high, the media will keep covering him and as long as the media keeps giving him attention, Trump’s poll numbers will remain high.

In other words, Republicans are screwed. Donald Trump put his foot in his mouth, and his poll numbers have stayed high. The Republican Party built Trump, and now he is destroying them.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association