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The rise in popularity of Donald Trump above the GOP pack
by Joseph Earnest July 14, 2015
Newscast Media HOUSTON—After Donald Trump announced his 2016 White House bid, many dismissed him as an attention whore seeking publicity for his TV show Celebrity Apprentice and other business ventures.
Trump would then shortly make the most controversial statements that any US presidential candidate has ever made, referring to Mexican illegals as drug dealers and rapists.
"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best," Trump said. "They're sending people that have lots of problems...they're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
Despite losing several business deals after his remarks, Trump showed no signs of slowing down on his attack against Mexicans. He attributed the pouring of infectious diseases across the border to Mexicans.
In a recent interview, the Don said, "The largest suppliers of heroin, cocaine and other illicit drugs are Mexican cartels that arrange to have Mexican immigrants trying to cross the borders and smuggle in the drugs. The border patrol knows this. Likewise, tremendous infectious disease is pouring across the border. The United States has become a dumping ground for Mexico and, in fact, for many other parts of the world," according The Guardian. (pop-up)
What has surprised many is, rather than see Trump's poll numbers plummet, he has actually risen to the top, and according to the latest Suffolk University/USA Today survey, he is ahead of the pack, surpassing even Jeb Bush among voters who identify as Republicans or Independents.
While a significant 30 percent of the Republican electorate remains undecided about whom they will support among a crowded field of candidates, Trump garnered 17 percent of likely voters, as their first choice for the GOP nomination in the 2016 presidential race.
Trump was followed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (14 percent), Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (8 percent), Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (6 percent), Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (5 percent), retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson (4 percent), Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (4 percent), former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (4 percent) and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (3 percent). Receiving less than 2 percent each were former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, and former New York Gov. George Pataki, the new poll revealed.
Analysts say that Trump's rise in popularity is because he is saying what a number of people think, but won't say out loud.
Trump is also a Washington outsider, therefore is more candid in his speeches without fear of offending politicians because he is not one of them. In addition, he is the richest of all the presidential candidates running, so he is not beholden to big donors and financial institutions which could withhold funds from him, if he failed to march in lockstep with their agendas.
Many large banks and insurance companies serve a large segment of the Hispanic population and would want to preserve that relationship by avoiding to be associated with someone who was making offensive speeches.
His opponent and Democrat front-runner Hillary Clinton, sharpened her criticism of Trump at the National Council of La Raza in Kansas City, expressing her views toward the real estate mogul.
"It was appalling to hear Donald Trump describe immigrants as drug dealers, racists and criminals," Clinton said. "He's talking about people you and I know. He’s talking about people who love this country, work hard and want nothing more than a chance to build a better life for themselves and this country."
"When people and businesses everywhere rejected his hateful comments, did he apologize? No, he doubled down," she added.
Trump's reaction was swift. He tore into Clinton in a statement calling her desperate.
"Failing candidate Hillary Clinton, who is desperately trying to hold on to her lead in the democratic primary against Bernie Sanders, is knowingly putting out lies about my stance on illegal immigration. I said "Mexico is sending"--- I’m not knocking immigration or immigrants, but rather I'm very critical of the country of Mexico for sending us people that they don’t want. Likewise I am very critical of illegal immigration and the tremendous problems including crime, which it causes.
"She is desperate, she is sad, and she is obviously very nervous when she has to revert to issues that have already been settled given the absolute accuracy of my statement. She speaks about "my tone" and that's the problem with our country's leaders. They are more worried about tone than results! It's not about being nice--- it's about being competent.
"Hillary should spend more time producing her illegally hidden emails and less time trying to obfuscate a statement by me that is totally clear and obviously very much accepted by the public as true. I am honored, however, that she is attacking me, instead of Jeb Bush. Obviously she knows that JEB is no longer her real competition. The last person she wants to face is Donald Trump," the statement read. (pop-up)
It is still very early in the game to tell whether Donald Trump will be able to sustain the momentum he has recently gained, but it is also clear that reforming immigration will be a big part of his campaign message. Add Comments>>
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