Recent data from Pew Research reveals a remarkable tilt among American Catholics, demonstrating robust backing for former President Donald Trump over current President Joe Biden. Current trends indicate that a solid 55% of Catholics now either endorse or lean towards endorsements for Trump, while Biden lags behind at 45%. It is quite significant to note that Trump’s popularity has seen accentuation since 2020 when it was a competitive 50% – 49% against Biden.
Interestingly, Biden enjoys a slim lead within the Hispanic Catholic cohort, boasting slight support from 49% of this group, as opposed to Trump’s 47%. Despite the lead, however, the numbers also represent a shift toward more conservative values in this demographic, as Biden had previously enjoyed the favor of 67% Hispanic Catholics in a similar 2020 poll.
Protestants, on the flip side, have a definite inclination towards Trump, and have expressed resounding support for him with roughly 60% backing the former president. In contrast, a mere 38% voiced their preference for Biden. Atheists, agnostics, and those associating with no particular religion had a distinct favoritism for Biden, with about 69% of them saying they would back him, while only 28% suggested they would support Trump.
Both candidates bring forth strengths and policy points deeply interconnected with the core issues that American citizens consider when casting their ballots. Particularly, concerns revolving around immigration and democracy challenges placed second and third respectively in deciding voter preferences, at 24% and 23%. This was closely followed by economic considerations and inflation, which constituted 29% of the voters’ decision-making process.
Interestingly, the only other matter surpassing 10% was the topic of abortion, which continues to be a galvanizing issue for voters, as per the study results. Concurrently, another recent survey sets forth that Biden is progressively losing ground to Trump over the various issues that American citizens prioritize for the upcoming election year.
Based on the survey conducted by ABC/Ipsos during early March, a noteworthy 36% of surveyed individuals trust Trump over Biden, who secured the trust of 33% respondents. Significantly, 30% voiced no trust in either candidate, highlighting an area of growth for both parties. When the issues are broken down individually, Trump enjoys favored ratings over Biden on all matters, aside from climate change and abortion.
More compelling, Trump has solidified a 49% public approval on matters relating to the economy, sharply contrasted with Biden’s 37%. Furthermore, issues surrounding inflation have also seen a significant favor towards Trump where 45% of respondents approved of his handling compared to Biden’s 31%.
A trend also observable with matters relating to crime – Trump was viewed with more favorability at 41%, but Biden only garnered 35%. Equally so, Trump bested Biden in handling immigration issues, with almost half of the respondents (45%) sharing favorable views about Trump’s approach, leaving Biden trailing at 29%.
Certain pollsters have observed a peculiar trend: the harsher the Biden administration’s pursuit of Trump, the stronger his polling figures have become. An intriguing claim put forth is that the relentless prosecution of Trump is ironically transforming him into the ‘Nelson Mandela of America’. This is positioning him as a figure wrongly persecuted, which serves to increase his popular appeal and could potentially thrust him back into the dominance of American politics.
According to noteworthy pollster Paul Bedard of the Washington Examiner, ‘Nearly 7 in 10 voters, or 69%, believe that politics ‘has played’ a role in the four indictments against Trump.’ Many American voters are growing increasingly discontent with the perception of strong-arm Democratic tactics attempting to undermine America’s highly popular political figure through legal and political means.
Further adding fuel to the fire, 58% of respondents to the same survey believe that even Biden himself has had a hand in ensuring Trump’s indictments. This surprisingly includes a third of the Democrats surveyed, more than half of the black voters at 54%, and 58% of Hispanic respondents. Unsurprisingly, these beliefs have led to a clear call to action.
Majority of the respondents within the survey want a decisive halt to these actions — 56% — expressing the need for the Department of Justice to ‘stop targeting Donald Trump and interfering with the upcoming presidential elections’. They further suggest that it’s time Biden lets the voters alone determine who they want as their next president.
Trump pollster John McLaughlin made a striking observation, ‘Biden is trying to make Donald Trump the Nelson Mandela of America’. This declaration emphasizes the belief that the more the current administration targets Trump, the more they involuntarily strengthen his image as a persecuted hero.
This assertion draws an interesting parallel between Trump’s political journey and the struggle of a global icon toward freedom from unjust persecution. Although the contexts are vastly different, the perceived resemblances in political hardship highlight the potential for rallying significant public support.
The extensive research showcases the various twists and turns of political preference among different demographic cohorts. It underlines the current pro-Trump inclination among American Catholics and Protestants, the slight edge Biden holds among Hispanic Catholics, and the predominance of Biden among non-religious groups. Ultimately, the recent polls indicate a considerable fluctuation in the American political sentiment, setting the stage for an interesting forthcoming electoral period.
