Voters Still Don’t Like or Trust Trump & Clinton, But See Sanders Favorably

Trumps and Clintons

Despite running what is probably the most inept campaign ever by a major party candidate, Donald Trump remains within five points of Hillary Clinton in the latest CNN/ORC Poll. The fact remains that most people, for good reason, do not like either candidate. As CNN put it, “When asked whether they would be excited by a Trump or Clinton presidency, fewer than 3-in-10 muster that level of enthusiasm for either.” Bernie Sanders is seen favorably by 59 percent, compared with 41 percent for Clinton and 38 percent for Trump.

While Clinton hopes her attacks on Trump’s economic views will change things, a majority believe Trump could handle the economy better than Clinton. Clinton is seen as stronger on foreign policy, but Trump is seen as stronger on terrorism. Neither is seen as honest, but more see Clinton as dishonest than Trump:

The poll finds Clinton widely viewed as having the better temperament for the presidency (56% say so vs. 32% who feel Trump is temperamentally better-suited for the White House), while Trump has picked up some ground over Clinton when voters are asked who is more honest and trustworthy (45% say Trump, 37% Clinton, a near reversal since March). But still, 17% say they see neither candidate as honest and trustworthy.

Trump has problems related to his racism and xenophobia, while 59 percent see Clinton’s violations of policy and dishonesty surrounding her private email server when Secretary of State as a negative indicator of her character and ability to serve as president:

About two-thirds say the way Trump talks about race and ethnicity is an important indicator of his character and ability to serve as president. On Clinton’s handling of her email as secretary of state, about two-thirds now say she did something wrong by using a personal email address and home-based server to handle her communications, up from about half in March of last year when the story first came to light. Likewise, 6-in-10 now say they see her handling of email as an indicator of her character and ability to serve as president, up from about half in March of last year.

As I noted above, Bernie Sanders is seen in the most favorable light, far surpassing Clinton and Trump. The major third party candidates are receiving some support but remain far behind in the poll, with Gary Johnson, now the Libertarian Party official nominee, at nine percent and presumptive Green Party nominee at seven percent.

If Donald Trump can remain within five points of Clinton despite all his recent blunders and the lack of a real campaign structure, his election remains a real possibility should Clinton be hurt by further bad news or legal action. Democrats who are making so much noise about how we must fall in line behind Clinton due to the horrors of a Trump presidency should be pushing for Sanders to be the nominee if they are really sincere in desiring to ensure that Donald Trump doesn’t become president.

8 Comments

  1. 1
    Cheryl says:

    I have been saying all along that Bernie should be the Democratic nomination.  I see a HUGE problem in our political system and country if either Clinton or Trump is elected. 

  2. 2
    Robert Kwok says:

    Bernie Sanders, in my opinion, is heart and soul a marxist and not to be trusted.  He honeymooned in the Soviet Union and his "Social Democrats"  is a term taken from the largest polical party in 1924 Germany, and was called Marxist by Hitler, who should know when he saw a communist.  Communists are just as evil as Nazis, they both do unto others what they don't want others to do unto them.  We don't need a communist nor a Nazi (guess who) as president of the United State !  We need a good and decent President who respects others, is compassionate and is possessed of humility, like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan, the four greatest in my opinion.  Where is the next greatest?   He or she is not on the horizon!  

  3. 3
    Ron Chusid says:

    Robert’s comment is obviously off the wall. The only question is whether it comes from a Clinton supporter or a Republican. There is hardly much of a difference in what we hear from each group.

  4. 4
    Philo Vaihinger says:

    More bad news, today, about the emails.

    Unless Hillary is indicted before the convention, the Democrats can no more give their nomination to Bernie without chaos and disaster than the Republicans can give their nomination to anyone but Trump.

    If she is indicted before the convention it just might work out, nominating Bernie, though those of her supporters who have been denouncing Bernie and his people for being too white and too male for their taste could, in that case, turn out to be the bitter-enders who ruin the Democrats this year.

    Thing is, just as her husband should have resigned when disgraced and let Big Al finish his term, but did not, she probably, if indicted before the convention, would not drop out of the race voluntarily – or submit with grace to being urged, much less forced, out by the party.

    And of course any effort by the party to give the nomination to someone who did not even run – Joe Biden has been often mentioned – would be disastrous.

    But if she is indicted after she is nominated that will put Il Duce in the White House.

    What a horrible year.

  5. 5
    Ron Chusid says:

    Both parties are in a bad position with terrible presumptive candidates. In each case, the likely candidate increases the risk of defeat, but there are also problems with trying to replace them.

    At the moment the Democrats have the edge if both parties nominate the current presumptive candidate–but we don’t know what further revelations or legal action could change this. Plus it is rather amazing that Trump has kept it so close despite all his mistakes in pivoting towards the general election. If he is this close now with a rather inept campaign, and after saying some rather stupid things, who knows what will happen if he gets a better campaign staff (assuming he listens to rational advice).

  6. 6
    Philo Vaihinger says:

    Sad truth is this could be Trump's year.

    A shocking lot of people, notably including much if not most of the white lower orders and the elderly, feel betrayed and ignored by both parties under the leadership of actual conservatives and establishment liberals.

    People opposed to free trade and massive low wage immigration feel both parties have sold them out, ruined them economically, and totally ignored them for decades.

    They are split between Bernie and Trump depending on how far they trust Il Duce not to blow up Social Security and Medicare, how far they trust Bernie to stop low wage immigration as he said he would in the early part of his campaign, or how far they resent the Democrats constant scolding of white people and men.

    Hence so many of those who support Bernie now say outright they will flip to Trump if Hillary is the Democratic nominee.

    Even apart from being in the eyes of so many corrupt, entitled, lying, arrogant, warmongering, and incompetent Hillary, she is too wedded over decades to free trade and virtually open immigration, and she is after all perceived by everyone as the special and even global tribune of feminism and minority interests against all others.

    And, if people are lying to pollsters here the way they did in Great Britain about Brexit, Trump could be doing a lot better against Hillary even now than can be seen in the polls.

    And if Trump wins it really will be the fault of those pig-headed establishment politicians who saw all this misery and anger building up for years upon years and instead of giving an inch on these issues, on the demands of all these people, they instead persisted in rejecting them, calling them fools and racists and bigots.

    They could have taken so much of the pressure off, they could have defused these issues, and they absolutely refused.

    BOTH parties made Trump, and if he gets to the White House it will be entirely their own damn fault.

  7. 7
    Philo Vaihinger says:

    I'm sure you must have mentioned, but when did you start moderating? Are people that rude?

  8. 8
    Ron Chusid says:

    Yes some are.

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