The results of our poll on Donald Trump are in: The majority of IJN.com users will probably not be voting for the Donald — in the case that the real estate mogul secures the Republican nomination, which insiders are saying is unlikely.
You were answering our poll, “Would you vote for Donald Trump?” and 64.5% of you said no – which of course means that 35.5% of IJN.com users would vote for Trump. Here’s how it broke down:
√ 48.4% voted no because they find “his simplistic thinking dangerous?”
This isn’t a surprising result, considering that the rhetoric from Trump is anything but nuanced. In fact his supporters argue that they want him in office precisely because he keeps it simple (see below). The issue, for us, boils down to the question of whether simplistic thinking is dangerous. Sometimes some things are black and white — but what’s rarely simple is finding workable solutions. Trumps seems big on naming the problems, less forthcoming when it comes to the nuts and bolts of successfully confronting them.
√ 16.1% also said no, but because they don’t find Trump “a serious candidate,” again, not difficult to understand.
Part of Trump’s appeal is his candid and often humorous (if impolite) take on the establishment. The flip side is that some Americans have a hard time imagining that personality at the helm of the country.
√ 32.3% of you said you would vote for Trump, because “he’s telling it like it is.”
There’s no doubt that a big part of Trump’s ascendancy is his damn-it-all attitude that doesn’t stand on ceremony. He doesn’t care about kowtowing to the establishment; he’s frank, unpolished and is verbalizing a lot of the issues Americans care about in a no-nonsense manner. However, as much as that is part of this appeal, it’s also made for many Trump detractors.
√ Only 3.2% of you said you’re on the fence, making for the obvious conclusion that Trump is the type of person who elicits strong opinions, not indifference. You either like him, or hate him, but either way, you’ve got something to say.
The real question now is: Will Trump continue to be relevant following the first slew of primaries?
See also our post, “Populism is behind Trump’s popularity”
