The enduring presence of Donald Trump in the public consciousness has seemingly outlasted some of his most controversial statements , particularly among young voters in the US. A recent polling memo from Democratic firm Blueprint highlights this trend, revealing that only 42 per cent of voters recall Trump’s call for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims” entering the US.
Similarly, a mere 35 per cent remember his disparaging remarks about American soldiers who died in the First World War, labelling them as “losers” and “suckers”.
This lack of awareness among young voters can be attributed to the timing of these comments, which occurred when many of them were just nine or 10 years old.
In contrast, 72 per cent of this demographic were familiar with Trump’s claims of election fraud in the 2020 election, largely due to his persistent focus on this topic for two years.
“It might shock those of us who eat, sleep, and breathe politics, but young voters really don’t remember the daily controversies of the Trump years and grew up understanding this kind of rhetoric as politics as usual,” said Blueprint Lead Pollster Evan Roth Smith.
“Looking at these ‘heard of’ and ‘bothered by’ statements in tandem, Democrats can seize opportunities to resurface Trump’s most flagrant 2016-era instances of sexism, racism, and denigration of immigrant communities with young voters who have simply never heard them before. However, Trump’s more recent statements about the 2020 election and language that questions democratic institutions do not carry the same weight with this generation.”
Young voters unaware but concerned
The polling involved presenting 943 voters aged 18-30 with various controversial quotes from Trump and gauging their awareness and level of offense.
The results showed that fewer than half of registered voters in this age group were aware of Trump’s 2016 Muslim ban, his statement about “very fine people on both sides” in Charlottesville, or his disparagement of former US Senator John McCain’s war hero status.
However, the majority of young voters expressed offense at all these quotes, as well as others.
Of particular concern to young voters were Trump’s quotes that objectified women, vilified immigrants, and a recent remark at the Black Conservative Federation gala where he suggested that Black voters supported him because of his legal troubles. In February this year, Trump made a suggestion that his criminal indictments and even his mug shot might appeal to Black voters, claiming that “what’s happening to (him) happens to them."
“The mug shot, we’ve all seen the mug shot, and you know who embraced it more than anybody else? The Black population. It’s incredible. You see Black people walking around with my mug shot, you know they do shirts,” he had claimed.
What were the most and least heard Trump statements?
The most widely heard Trump statements include:
72% heard: Claiming that the 2020 election was “rigged” and “stolen” from him.
67% heard: Calling the COVID-19 virus the “Chinese virus” and “kung flu.”
62% heard: “You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful - I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything. … Grab them by the p–sy. You can do anything.”
59% heard: “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending the best. They’re not sending you… they’re sending people that have lots of problems and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
The least widely heard Trump statements include:
35% heard: Saying that Jews who support Democrats “hate Israel” and hate “their religion.”
35% heard: Saying that he did not want to visit a cemetery of Americans who died fighting in World War I because they were “losers” and “suckers.”
36% heard: “26,000 unreported sexual assaults in the military-only 238 convictions. What did these geniuses expect when they put men & women together?”
37% heard: Saying in 2017 that Haitian immigrants to the United States “all have AIDS” and that Nigerian tourists would never “go back to their huts” after seeing America.
What are the most and least bothersome Trump statements?
Among young voters, the most bothersome Trump statements include:
62% bothered (49% bothered a lot, 65% independents): “You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful - I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything…. Grab them by the p–sy. You can do anything.”
62% bothered (45% bothered a lot, 62% independents): “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending the best. They’re not sending you… they’re sending people that have lots of problems and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
61% bothered (43% a lot, 56% independents): “I got indicted a second time, and a third time, and a fourth time. And a lot of people said that’s why the Black people like me…I’m being indicted for you, the Black population…The mugshot, we’ve all seen the mugshot, and do you know who embraced it more than anybody else? The Black population, it’s incredible, you see Black people walking around with my mugshot.”
61% bothered (44% a lot, 63% independents): Saying that two non-white congresswomen “who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world” should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime-infested places from which they came”
The least bothersome Trump statements include:
46% bothered: Calling the top elections official in Georgia and telling him “All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have…”
50% bothered (31% a lot): “[John McCain’s] not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”
50% bothered (32% bothered a lot, 52% independents): Saying that Jews who support Democrats “hate Israel” and hate “their religion”
50% bothered (36% bothered a lot): Claiming that the 2020 election was “rigged” and “stolen” from him.
“I see it with my students all the time—they weren’t really aware of politics yet during his [Trump’s] presidency and think it’s just cringey millennials being obsessed with trump,” a Reddit user commented on a post displaying the poll.
Trump ahead in polls
According to a recent CNN poll conducted by SSRS, Trump maintains an advantage over US President Joe Biden as the campaign progresses, alongside developments in the former US president’s criminal trial . Looking ahead to a potential rematch, public opinions regarding the first terms of both candidates favour Trump. Most Americans now view Trump’s presidency as successful, while a large majority considers Biden’s term thus far to be a failure.
In the poll, Trump’s support among registered voters remains stable at 49 per cent in a head-to-head contest against Biden, mirroring a previous national poll in January. Biden’s support currently stands at 43 per cent, which is not significantly different from the 45 per cent recorded in January.
The 2024 United States presidential election is set to take place on Tuesday, 5 November, 2024. The winner of this election is scheduled to be inaugurated on 20 January, 2025. This election will coincide with other important elections, including those for the US Senate, House of Representatives, gubernatorial positions, and US state legislatures.
Key campaign issues for the 2024 election include abortion, immigration, healthcare, education, the economy, foreign policy, border security, LGBT rights, climate change, and democracy.
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