Folks, I’m sipping my coffee and reading about the latest polling numbers, and I have to say, it’s a wild ride. President Donald Trump’s political stature is so poor right now that he has squandered the Republican Party’s advantage on two major issues that almost always favor the GOP: the economy and national security. I mean, you can’t make this stuff up – the Reuters-Ipsos poll shows Democrats and Republicans virtually tied on “war, foreign conflicts and terrorism,” with 37% of US adults saying Democrats have a better approach, compared to 36% who say the GOP does.
The Fox News polling a couple weeks back showed something very similar: On national security, 50% of registered voters preferred the GOP, to 48% who preferred the Democratic Party. That’s compared to a 12-point edge for Republicans in January, before the Iran war. Now, I know what you’re thinking – these numbers are within the margin of error, but the fact that they’re even this close is basically unheard of.
Both parties have been tested on issues like terrorism and national security, and until the Iran war, Democrats had never even been within double-digits of the Republican Party on either issue. I’m not sure what’s more surprising, the fact that Democrats are now competing with Republicans on national security or that Trump’s policies have led to this point. Somewhere in Atlanta, a producer thought this sounded terrifying, and now we have these polling numbers to show for it.
The economy is another story altogether. The most recent Fox survey showed Democrats leading on that issue by nine points, 54%-45%. That was the biggest Democratic advantage since 2006, when they led by 20 points. I’m no economist, but even I know that’s a big deal. And when they took a lead on the economy back in April, it marked the first time they were ahead since 2010, shortly after the 2008 financial crisis that began during the George W. Bush administration.
CNN polling back in May showed a closer split between the two parties on the economy, with 35% of adults preferring Democrats, compared to 33% who preferred the GOP. The poll previously asked people to choose between congressional Republicans and congressional Democrats. The last time Republicans didn’t lead on that question was 2009. It’s clear that Trump’s policies, including the tariffs, have taken ownership of the economic picture, and now he’s contending with a still-stagnant economic picture, with the economy shedding 23,000 jobs in July.
Americans don’t love Democrats; in fact, the blue side remains pretty unpopular in polls. So the fact that they’ve apparently taken a lead on the economy really says something. And the national security numbers might be even more striking — because Democrats hardly ever even compete with Republicans on the topic. Just as education and health care almost always favor Democrats, national security and defending the homeland are almost always signature GOP issues, and lopsidedly so.
That remained true even when Bush launched wars in the Middle East that gradually became pretty unpopular. Trump, though, seems to have botched the Iran war so badly that Americans suddenly see Democrats on equal footing with the GOP — in terms of issues on the GOP’s own turf. I’m no expert, but it seems like Trump’s policies have led to a perfect storm of bad polling numbers for the Republicans.
In conclusion, the latest polling numbers show that Trump’s political stature is in trouble, and the Republican Party’s advantage on issues like the economy and national security is slipping. It’s a surprising turn of events, and I’m not sure what the future holds, but one thing is for sure – I’ll be sipping my coffee and watching this story unfold with great interest. And who knows, maybe Trump will bounce back, but for now, it seems like he’s got his work cut out for him. Bless their hearts, it’s going to be a long road to recovery.
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
