The former president’s comments have ignited concerns from critics and scholars who have warned that a second Trump administration threatens democracy – even as his advisers push back on those fears, dismissing them as baseless.
Many likely Iowa Republican caucusgoers have no issue with several of Trump’s recent statements, a new Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll has found, and, more often than not, they say the same statements make them more likely to support the former president.
Holly Rice, a 57-year-old poll respondent from Cumming, Iowa, said she was backing Trump for his policy agenda, saying “I don’t care what he tweets. It’s a little off the wall, but you know? A lot of them do stuff like that,” Rice said. “At least we know he’s not a polished politician. He reminds me of my father.”
June Koelker, a 71-year-old poll respondent from Monticello, Iowa, said Trump’s immigration plans made her more likely to back him, but she answered she was “less likely” to support him for his statement about those who enter illegally “poisoning” the country.
She said there is “nothing wrong” with immigrants who seek entry legally but expressed concern about America’s national security under the Biden administration’s current border policy.
Trump’s declaration that he would have to root out “the radical left thugs that live like vermin” in the U.S. prompts 43% of likely Republican caucusgoers to say they are more likely to support him − words historians said echoed language used by fascist leaders like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.
And Trump declaring that he is “the only one who will prevent World War III” makes 42% of likely caucusgoers more likely to support him. Trump has pledged to swiftly resolve ongoing wars in Ukraine and Israel.
Rice said Trump is “good at getting people to come to the table,” citing his peace accords with Israel and tariffs on China as examples of negotiations with foreign leaders.
“Maybe he can put it back together again, I don’t know,” Rice said. “You never know. But he’s the most likely one to be able to do that. It’s like negotiating a business deal.”
Just one statement makes a plurality of likely caucusgoers less likely to support Trump: his suggestion that “fraud” in the 2020 election could justify terminating parts of the U.S. Constitution. Forty-seven percent of likely caucusgoers say that makes them less likely to support Trump.
Trump calling himself “the most pro-life president in American history” effectively elicits a shrug from a plurality of those surveyed, with 41% saying it would not impact their support one way or the other.
A similar share of likely caucusgoers (43%) say it doesn’t matter that Trump said he would have “no choice” but to lock up his political opponents.
It’s possible that a few Republicans will decide that voting for Hitler 2.0 might bot be the greatest thing:
Supporters of Haley have the most negative reaction to all eight statements polled compared with Trump and DeSantis supporters. Backers of DeSantis fall between the Trump and Haley supporters on every statement but trend closer to Haley supporters than Trump supporters on their level of concern for all but two statements.
For example, 71% of Haley supporters say they are less likely to support Trump because of his statement that he would have “no choice” but to lock up his political opponents; 52% of DeSantis supporters say it makes them less likely to support Trump.
Just 12% of Trump supporters say his consideration of imprisoning political opponents makes them less likely to back the former president.
Travis Webber, a 43-year-old independent from Creston, Iowa, who is leaning toward supporting Haley, said Trump’s past actions and remarks were “an embarrassment” to the Republican Party.
The two Trump comments they don’t have a problem with are replacing Obamacare and that he’s the most pro-life candidate in history (which I’m happy to concede as well.)
These comments need to be relentlessly hyped by the Democrats and the media must continue to be vigilant in exposing them to the greater public. People need to see it and understand that it is beyond the pale. If Trump agrees to do debates in the fall (which I’m fairly confident he will not do) the moderators must confront him with them over and over again.
Those numbers really reveal the hardcore Trump cultists for what they are: a basket of deplorables, aka fascist cultists. They are unreachable. But it appears that buried deeply in the psyches of at least a few Republicans are some of the ideals that most Americans used to share (not that we ever fully lived up to them.) That may be the most hopeful thing I’ve seen in ages.
Who knows if they’ll actually defy the pull of the Trump cult in the end. I’d guess it’s probably a tiny total number anyway. But every vote is going to count and I just hope that a few of these folks continue to wince at hearing Trump casually spout Nazi rhetoric and decide that it’s just not worth the risk.
Happy Hollandaise Everyone!