Anti-Trump Sentiment Grows Stronger

Public sentiment against Donald Trump has grown stronger than before. Although this trend had long been visible in various surveys, the recent results of the mayoral election in New York and the gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia have made it even clearer. Former U.S. President and Republican leader Donald Trump has also realized this and is now downplaying his role in these elections.

The defeats of Republican candidates to Democrats in all three races have become a major concern for the party. Speaking at the White House last Friday, Trump said, “I watched the elections, but I wasn’t really involved in them.” He also denied directly supporting any candidate, saying, “I didn’t support the Virginia governor candidate, nor did I help the New Jersey one much. When asked about New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo, I said—do you want a ‘thug’ or a ‘leftist’?”

Although Trump is trying to distance himself from the election results, in reality, voters cast their ballots against him. In fact, even though his name wasn’t on the ballot, never before have Americans voted so clearly against Trump.

The most notable aspect this week is that anti-Trump votes have become stronger while pro-Trump votes have sharply declined. A CNN survey conducted a day before the election made this clear. It showed that 41 percent of registered voters said they would vote to oppose Trump if the congressional election were held now, while only 21 percent expressed support for him — nearly double the opposition. Such a gap is unusual and hasn’t been seen in nearly two decades, according to CNN.

Back in 2006, 36 percent of voters said they would vote against President George W. Bush, while only 15 percent supported him. Even before Trump’s first midterm election in 2018, the gap wasn’t this large — 38 percent were anti-Trump, and 25 percent were pro-Trump.

While polls had long shown a rise in anti-Trump sentiment, Tuesday’s election results confirmed it. Exit polls from Virginia and New Jersey indicate that the anti-Trump margin has widened further.

In Virginia, the gap between anti-Trump and pro-Trump voters was 17 points in 2017 (34%-17%), which increased to 22 points this year (38%-16%). In New Jersey, the margin widened from 17 points (28%-11%) in 2017 to 28 points (41%-13%) now.

‘No Kings’ Movement
Two key factors explain the rise in anti-Trump votes. The first is the “No Kings” movement, which spread across the United States last month in protest against Trump’s authoritarian behavior and policies. The rallies organized under this banner were far from coincidental; they were coordinated and powerful. These anti-Trump movements remain as strong and active as ever. While many participants may not have full faith in the Democratic Party, they have not withdrawn from politics — instead, they are more motivated to vote.

The second reason is that despite Trump’s continuing political dominance, his core voter base has become increasingly unenthusiastic.

Khaborwala/TSN