Going into Wednesday’s Republican debate, Donald Trump had been usurped by retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson. Inspite of a string of highly-publicized gaffes, including saying he wouldn’t vote for a Muslim running for president and comparing abortion to slavery, Carson was still riding high in Iowa polls.
The website Politico reported that at least two Iowa polls had Carson outscoring Trump. In a Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register poll, 28 percent of likely Republican caucus goers said they supported Carson. Trump trailed behind at 19 percent. Sen. Ted Cruz came in third at 10 percent, Sen. Marco Rubio was fourth with 9 percent and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Rand Paul came in fifth with 5 percent.
Although Bush denied his campaign was sinking, he recently staged an emergency meeting with family members and donors in Houston to discuss new campaign strategies.
Interestingly enough, Carson and Trump, currently the GOP’s two leading candidates, each have no political experience. According to political analysts, this says a lot about the mood of the electorate which is very anti-establishment. Voters seem tired of career politicians and want to see new blood. But even though Trump and Carson are both riding high, questions remain about their ability to handle the media and whether they are really presidential material.
Trump expressed skepticism at Carson’s rise and branded him as “super low energy.”
While he appears first in Iowa polls, Trump still got to stand center stage during the debate, because CNBC ranked the candidates based on several nationwide polls. Trump had the highest score in this case with a little more than 25 percent of voters.
In an interview with MSNBC, Trump admitted to being confused by Carson’s popularity.
“I’m going there (Iowa) actually, and I have tremendous crowds and tremendous love in the room and, you know, we seem to have hit a chord,” said Trump in an appearance on “Morning Joe.” “But some of these polls coming out, I don’t quite get it. I was No. 1 pretty much in Iowa from the beginning, and I would say we’re doing very well there. So I’m a little bit surprised … The other polls, as you know, in other states are extraordinary, actually. This one I don’t quite get. I would have thought we were doing much better. I think we are doing much better, actually.”
The fourth Republican debate is scheduled for Nov. 10 at the Milwaukee Theater, in Milwaukee. It will be hosted by the Wall Street Journal and Fox Business Network. It is a year from the election.
The next Democratic debate takes place on Nov. 14 in Des Moines, Iowa. The event will be hosted by CBS News, KCCI-TV and the Des Moines Register.
Hillary Clinton, whom the national media deemed the winner of the first Democratic debate, is now one of a field of three candidates. The others are Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley. Former Sen. Jim Webb dropped out of the race and may run as an Independent. Former Sen. Lincoln Chafee also quit the race. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has also dropped out of the Republican primary.
Why is Donald Trump so popular?
According to an article in Pyschology Today, Donald Trump has been described as sexist, racist, and a bully. Given that these aren’t exactly presidential characteristics, why is he so popular in the polls?
The article noted that people prefer their leaders to have certain traits, such as deep voices and a tall stature. These characteristics convey dominance, which makes us feel protected. Trump embodies both of these physical qualities—but his popularity may be due to yet another attribute, points out the piece—narcissism. Although his supporters may disagree, says Psychology Today, “The Donald” has been referred to as a narcissist extraordinaire. The hallmarks of narcissism include grandiosity, overconfidence, arrogance, and an exaggerated sense of self-importance.
His apparent narcissism can help Trump in the presidential race because under uncertain circumstances people prefer narcissistic leaders.
A blog called “The Hill” summarizes Trump’s appeal this way: “people are angry and are looking for a leader . . . Trump is more than a “reflection of the unrest,” he is the antithesis of the establishment, and despite being of the 1 percent, he isn’t beholden to lobbyist and special-interest groups that typically donate in large sums to presidential candidates. Voters recognize this and thus associate Trump as both a candidate who cannot be bought and one who doesn’t have to play politics as usual.
Trump is reportedly cognizant of this association by voters and is using it to his advantage. Prime examples would be his recurring attacks on the other GOP candidates, particularly Bush and Clinton as beholden to special interest and wealthy donors.
“What’s most unique about Trump is his understanding of marketing and the manner in which he markets himself. Despite making remarks that would’ve ended the campaigns of any one of his fellow GOP contenders, Trump has been able to secure support among Republican primary voters and maintain his lead in the polls. It gives credence to his understanding of both the political climate and voter dissatisfaction.
“He’s capitalizing on the anger of voters, turning the complexities of politics into common themes. Voters are perhaps willing to suspend their criticisms and concerns of some of his antics, because they’re more concerned with having real representation.”
