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Washington bureau chief David Lauter of the Los Angeles Times looked at Donald Trump's unfavorable rating across several recent big national polls and gets to the bottom line that chills Republican Party leaders when they try to sleep at night: "Over the past three decades, pollsters have asked the public how it feels about scores of political figures -- presidents, would-be presidents, governors, senators, Cabinet officials and others. Not one has been so widely unpopular as Trump is currently." (my emphasis.)
The share of Americans with an unfavorable view of Trump is extraordinary: 68% in the most recent Bloomberg poll, 67% in the CNN/ORC survey, 67% in the ABC/Washington Post poll, 65% from Gallup. The 57% unfavorable rating he received in the most recent CBS/New York Times survey looks mild by comparison....
Former Vice President Dick Cheney briefly hit a 60% unfavorable rating during the closing years of the George W. Bush administration. Newt Gingrich's unpopularity exceeded 60% briefly during his unsuccessful run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. George H.W. Bush's unfavorable level also hit 60% when he went down to defeat in his reelection effort in 1992. None of them hit Trump's level.More than half of Americans had a negative view of Trump even before his presidential campaign began. Two factors account for how much worse his image has gotten.
He is extremely unpopular among Democrats, with more than eight in 10 viewing him negatively. But he is also unpopular among many Republican women.
Overall, counting all parties and independents, 70% of women and 58% of men have a negative view of Trump. And that's right now, before the candidates campaign in California, the Republican convention and any post-primary debates. "Usually," Lauter writes, "political candidates' images get worse, not better, during a campaign."
Trump was already having a bad week on the campaign trail. One reason:
Trump’s stock in trade is blustery confidence,which doesnt always mix well w/ lack of experience
— Lisa Mascaro (@LisaMascaro) March 31, 2016
via @cathleendecker https://t.co/aP6zV5v8yQ
But also this perspective from Matthew Dowd, chief political analyst at ABC News:
Media has focused on historical high of Trump's unfavorables, but so too are Cruz and Hillary. All are historical highs.
— Matthew Dowd (@matthewjdowd) April 1, 2016
The AntiTrump money and machinations have had no real effect. Waste of $. The best AntiTrump effort has been Trump himself.
— Matthew Dowd (@matthewjdowd) April 1, 2016
