Did you know Donald Trump led the GOP field in 2012?
The Donald is trumping his GOP competitors.
The billionaire real estate mogul has taken a rather shocking nine-point lead in a national poll of the hypothetical Republican presidential field, according to a new survey by Public Policy Polling.
Trump leads with 26 percent, followed by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (17 percent), former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (15 percent) and ex-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (11 percent).
Rounding out the bottom of the list were former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (8 percent), Texas Rep. Ron Paul (5 percent), Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann (4 percent) and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (4 percent).
Trump, whose potential candidacy has for weeks had many pundits snickering...
Other critics speculate he is using his presidential bid for publicity, which the 64-year-old television host denies.
"The fact is a lot of people in the polls don't vote for me because they think I'm just having a good time," Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity on Thursday. "They think that I'm promoting 'Celebrity Apprentice,' which I'm absolutely not."
The Donald is trumping his GOP competitors.
The billionaire real estate mogul has taken a rather shocking nine-point lead in a national poll of the hypothetical Republican presidential field, according to a new survey by Public Policy Polling.
Trump leads with 26 percent, followed by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (17 percent), former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (15 percent) and ex-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (11 percent).
Rounding out the bottom of the list were former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (8 percent), Texas Rep. Ron Paul (5 percent), Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann (4 percent) and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (4 percent).
Trump, whose potential candidacy has for weeks had many pundits snickering...
...
Some believe that Trump fares so well simply because he enjoys much better name recognition than the other candidates.Other critics speculate he is using his presidential bid for publicity, which the 64-year-old television host denies.
"The fact is a lot of people in the polls don't vote for me because they think I'm just having a good time," Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity on Thursday. "They think that I'm promoting 'Celebrity Apprentice,' which I'm absolutely not."
...
Public Policy pollster Tom Jensen doubts Trump will really make a go at the presidency.
"But if he doesn't, someone who taps into the same sort of hard, hard right sentiment he's appealing to right now will get their votes - it's hard to imagine these folks voting for a more centrist candidate like Romney or Pawlenty," said Jensen.
"And that means there's a very serious contingent within the Republican Party that's less concerned with beating Barack Obama than having a nominee who gets them fired up," he added.
That is amazing. That is everything that is going on in 2016: the shock, the "snickering," the "publicity" motive explanation. Really, there is no excuse for the Republican Party being taken by surprise in 2016. Mr. Jensen's analysis nailed Trump's appeal and the danger to the Republican Party four years ago! I ask you again to consider whether Republicans are not just on a lower level on the evolutionary scale than normal people. I ask you to consider separately, but in conjunction, one definition of insanity, repetitive behavior with repetitive negative consequences.
And in hypothetical matchups with President Obama, guess what Trump's average support was? 34%. Actual vote won by Trump, 2016: 34.3%. The guy has a low ceiling and a high floor between 30% and 40% AS HE HAS ALWAYS HAD!
Polling Data
| Poll | Date | Sample | Obama (D) | Trump (R) | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RCP Average | 4/3 - 5/9 | -- | 53.5 | 34.0 | Obama +19.5 |
| Reuters/Ipsos | 5/5 - 5/9 | 600 A | 57 | 30 | Obama +27 |
| PPP (D) | 5/5 - 5/8 | 814 RV | 53 | 35 | Obama +18 |
| Newsweek/Daily Beast | 5/2 - 5/3 | 600 A | 53 | 25 | Obama +28 |
| Newsweek/Daily Beast | 4/30 - 5/1 | 600 A | 55 | 30 | Obama +25 |
| CNN/Opinion Research | 4/29 - 5/1 | 964 RV | 58 | 36 | Obama +22 |
| ABC News/Wash Post | 4/14 - 4/17 | 1001 A | 52 | 40 | Obama +12 |
| McClatchy/Marist | 4/10 - 4/14 | 552 RV | 54 | 38 | Obama +16 |
| Rasmussen Reports | 4/15 - 4/16 | 1000 LV | 49 | 34 | Obama +15 |
| FOX News | 4/3 - 4/5 | 914 RV | 52 | 34 | Obama +18 |
| Newsweek/Daily Beast | 2/12 - 2/15 | 918 LV | 43 | 41 | Obama +2 |
| PPP (D) | 2/11 - 2/14 | 600 RV | 48 | 34 | Obama +14 |