“I absolutely hate Trump”: A “whole swath” of GOP voters say they’re not falling for MAGA again
A new report from Politico suggests that former President Donald Trump may have a difficult time winning the White House because, despite how he fares in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, there is a “whole swath” of Republicans who are committed to voting against him.
The outlet cited a recent NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll of Iowa voters, conducted ahead of the Iowa caucuses, in which 43 percent of Nikki Haley supporters indicated that they would vote for President Joe Biden over Trump.
“2024 is different,” Politico’s report claimed, largely because Trump is being evaluated by voters, not for the strength of his current campaign, but rather, for his prior time spent in the White House. “And that, political veterans warn, makes it much harder for him to win back the people he’s alienated, including those once willing to vote Republican,” Politico added.
“I don’t think I can vote for Trump,” one New Hampshire voter and former MAGA supporter said. “I vote in every election, I’ve never left a box blank. And I might have to this time.”
Another independent voter from the state expressed a similar sentiment, claiming that Trump is “dangerous and the people around him are, too.” If Haley succeeds in garnering the nomination, the second voter said he was likely to side with her over Biden. “I absolutely hate Trump,” he added.
Before the Iowa poll, Politico reported, a separate survey done by the New York Times/Siena College found that Biden eked out more support from Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents (91 percent) than Trump did among the GOP and Republican-leaning independents (86 percent). Though the margins were slim, Politico observed that “it could be enough to tip the scales for Democrats. At a minimum, it is a major liability for the GOP should the party, as expected, push Trump through as its nominee.” And, in the New York Times/Siena College poll last month, Biden took the lead among all independents with 50 percent to Trump’s 38 percent. As Politico noted, however, Biden’s track record amongst the electorate has nose-dived in recent months, with some formerly staunch supporters considering other alternatives or not voting entirely.
Speaking about the GOP’s odds of winning the state in the general election if Trump is the nominee, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, a Republican who supports Haley, said, “It would be a massively difficult hill to climb, without a doubt. And he’s already proven that. He’s lost before and according to the polls he will lose even bigger this time.”