‘Trump as President Again? No, Thanks!’ Say Nearly Half of Republican Voters

William FurneyOct 26, 2023

Minute Read

Former president Trump may not be as popular as he likes to think, or that the polls suggest — because a new survey says nearly half of Republican voters don’t want him anywhere near the White House again.

Trump Presidential Campaign

Image Credit: rarrarorro / Shutterstock.

Trump, 77, is determined to become the next American president, after failing to get re-elected when he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden. He first needs to get his Republican Party’s nomination to be its candidate for the race, following voting in primaries that gets underway next January.

Majority Say ‘No to Trump’

But an overwhelming majority of Americans who took part in a poll by the Associated Press newswire and research body NORC at the University of Chicago rejected the notion of another Trump term.

A total of 70 percent said they did not want Trump to campaign for the White House again, the poll found. The figure was higher for those who were college-educated, at 80 percent, compared to 65 percent for unskilled workers.

Republicans Also Against Trump

Image Credit: danielfela / Shutterstock.

When the polling was broken down further, to only include Republicans, but eliminating self-described MAGA supporters — using Trump’s Make America Great Again campaign slogan — almost half, 44 percent, said they would not vote for another Trump presidency.

Trump’s Many Troubles

The former president is battling a raft of legal cases, including four criminal indictments that carry a total of 91 federal charges. Unrelenting negative media stories about Trump’s legal troubles may have a negative effect on some voters, resulting in the unfavorable AP-Norc poll findings, say analysts.

Potential Prison Time

Trump could end up in prison if found guilty of the many charges he’s facing. They include attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election he lost and blocking the peaceful transfer of power, as well as allegedly holding onto classified government papers he should have left at the White House when his term ended. Trump denies the charges, saying they amount to a “witch hunt” by Democrats trying to keep him from becoming president once more.

Business Empire in Peril

Image Credit: Eric Urquhart / Shutterstock.

Even Trump’s famed property business, which includes his signature Trump Tower in New York, where he stays when in the city, is facing ruin. Trump is battling a civil case in New York City that alleges he, his adult sons and executives at the Trump Organization committed years of fraud to get cheap loans and insurance from financial institutions. Trump risks losing control of his company and the court has already withdrawn several of his business licenses. He is also at risk of a fine of around $250 million, the sum prosecutors have requested as a penalty.

Bad News for Biden Too

President Biden is facing problems of his own too, according to the new poll. Concerns linger about his age, 80, and apparent frailty while speaking and walking in public, and they’re reflected in the survey.

‘Too Old to Run Again’

A majority of people polled, 77 percent, said they believed Biden was too old to run for re-election, and his age too advanced to run the country should he win next year’s vote.

Democrats’ and Republicans’ Views

Nearly all those who said they were Republicans in the survey, 89 percent, held the view that President Biden was too old and that he should not run again. That compares with 69 percent of Democrats who had the same opinion.

Trump’s Age Also a Concern

Editorial credit: Nicole Glass Photography / Shutterstock.

Trump is only a few years younger than Biden and so far he has escaped criticism of his age — he would be 78 by time the election date rolls around next year, on November 5. Roughly half of Americans now say that Trump is too old to run again, the poll found, although more Democrats held that view than Republicans.

Trump the Favorite

All his legal and other woes aside, Trump remains the breakaway candidate to be chosen by Republicans in primaries next year. He is leading other Republican presidential hopefuls by a margin of about 50 points, polling at close to 60 percent of those who say they would vote for him, compared to 10 percent and single-digits for rivals including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

Biden v. Trump?

If both men get the vote of their respective parties to run in the 2024 presidential election, it is likely to be a closely fought contest. Polling has Trump and Biden at just under 50 percent of voter preferences each.