Donald Trump had one of the worst days of his presidency this week by becoming the third president in American history to be impeached. It’s an asterisk attached to his name that he’ll never be able to shake.
But to make matters worse for the president, evangelical magazine Christian Today has called for his removal from office – an indication that even some in one of Trump’s most dedicated voting blocs are getting sick of defending an amoral, corrupt man.
As PoliticusUSA’s Jason Easley pointed out this week, if Trump’s support among white evangelicals begins to slip – even a little – his reelection prospects could be in major trouble.
Of course, it’s not just folks in the religious community who are waking up to the fraud of Donald Trump. Members of the military – another historically Republican stronghold – are starting to walk away from the president, too.
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According to a recent Military Times poll, Trump’s approval rating among active-duty military personnel is a dismal 42 percent. It’s a new low for the president who likes to wrap himself in the flag.
What took these two groups so long?
The shock that these two voting groups are creeping away from Donald Trump ahead of the 2020 election shouldn’t be the surprising part of this story.
What’s surprising is that it took this long to abandon this president – and that they even supported him in the first place.
For the white evangelical community, what about a thrice-married man who cheated on all of his wives – once with a porn star he used campaign funds to silence – is appealing? What about this president – a guy who has told thousands of lies during his presidency – makes him worthy of your support?
For members of the military, what draws you to a makeup-caked game show host who lied his way out of military service in Vietnam? A guy who, just yesterday, took credit for a piece of veterans legislation that Barack Obama signed into law in 2014?
There is no question that many folks in these two voting blocs still support Donald Trump and will vote for him again in 2020, but even a small shift away from the president could be disastrous for his hopes of winning a second term.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
