GAME CHANGERS From far left: Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former President Bill Clinton, baseball legend Joe Torre, and comedian Billy Crystal at Trump National Golf Club in New York.
the ring — 57 percent said yes. In February 2011, a Newsweek/Daily Beast poll showed him trailing Presi- dent Barack Obama in a head-to-head matchup by just 2 points — well within the poll’s margin of error. Following Trump’s endorsement of Romney, The
Donald quickly debunked the myth that he was just a celebrity surrogate lacking any real political influ- ence. In the days leading up to the crucial Michigan primary, with former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick San- torum trying to hold onto a double-digit lead in the polls, Trump starred in a series of radio appearances and robo calls on Romney’s behalf. What initially looked like an inevitable Santorum
victory in Romney’s home state turned into a narrow Romney victory. From there, Trump moved on to Ohio and a
similar media blitz featuring his no-holds-barred personality. Noting Santorum had been soundly de- feated when running for re-election in Pennsylvania, Trump remarked: “And all of a sudden, he says, ‘Let’s become president.’ Give me a break.” Not long after Trump’s onslaught hit the airwaves,
Romney mounted a comeback. He managed to eke out a narrow victory. That history leads Newsmax to ask Trump how he
developed such national political pull. “After my TV show became No. 1,” he tells News- max, “I made some speeches about things I care
They tend to have strong nuclear
families. Thirty-five percent of them have children at home, compared to 29 percent of the population at large. Only 11 percent of Trump voters are single, compared to 25 percent of voters overall.
Trump voters love the tea parties. Among the electorate at large, about 33 percent of voters say they are sympathetic with the tea parties. But among Trump supporters, that percentage nearly doubles to 65 percent. “It’s a group that Trump remains hugely popular among, and they are independents. They certainly like Republicans more than Democrats, to be sure, by huge amounts,” says Zogby.
They live on a tight budget. Forty-
three percent of Trump voters earned less than $35,000 in household income last year (compared to 34 percent in that bracket among the population generally). As Zogby puts it, “They’re driving a 4x4 or a Ford focus — not a Prius, a Saab, or a car with a hood-ornament on it.” The pollster describes Trump voters as “what remains of the blue-collar working class in the United States, not entirely, but predominantly.”
Trump voters don’t like President
Barack Obama’s policies. This may be the least surprising finding of all: People who like Donald Trump don’t like the way President Obama’s been running
the country. Fully 83 percent of them disapprove of Obama’s job performance as president, and 86 percent say it is time for someone new in the Oval Ofice. Overall, a full 71 percent of Trump voters say they’ll vote for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Only 7 percent plan to vote for Obama, and 24 percent remain undecided.
“Look at the polls in a number of the
swing states right now — they’re razor thin,” Zogby says. “Anything that can move voters
one way or another can be significant.” The veteran pollster describes Trump as “potentially a very large player” in November’s outcome.
AUGUST 2012 | NEWSMAX 49
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