There were many who believed it could never happen. But ever since the day Donald Trump came parading down the escalators at Trump Tower, his base supporters, primarily white, have been steadfastly behind him no matter what comes to the light about his behavior, his politics, his finances, or his character. This base has been nearly unshakable in its united front FOR Trump and AGAINST anyone that is not.
But four new surveys out this week may show a crack in the glass:
Pew Research Center released a survey Friday that shows Trump’s approval rating at just 37 percent nearing the lowest point recorded and 15 points different from the Pew poll just a year ago. Carroll Doherty, the Pew Research Center’s director of political research, said the big news of this poll is the disapproval ratings among white people with no college degree, and added “This obviously is a key group for the president,”
Another survey, the SSRS poll for CNN found Trump’s job approval rating in the same category (white, no college degree) down to 45 percent down 9 from just over a month ago, while yet another survey from Quinnipiac showed his numbers in the same category slipping away, as well.
Finally, a recent survey from Marist Institute for Public Opinion conducted for NPR and PBS NewsHour shows Trump’s approval ratings dropping as well, surprisingly even seeing this downward trend in Republicans, white evangelicals, and other groups usually polling strong in favor for Trump.
Lee Miringoff, who runs the Marist poll, said,
“It’s the first time that there’s been significant erosion in the base… An erosion of the base is the last thing he needs. His whole strategy has been base-focused.”
Many polls conducted in just recent weeks show that more Americans blame Trump for the government shutdown than they do democrats. Furthermore, even with the normal ebb and flow of polling and data, Trump’s numbers are on the lowest ebb we have seen in most of the surveys.
The question begs, will the crack in Trump’s base lead to a shattering of his support system or will they be able to ignore the damage and hold themselves together for the remainder of his term and into another election?
