Poll: On range of issues, Clinton edges Trump
Associated Press
WASHINGTON
In an early general- election warning for Donald Trump, Americans say they trust Democrat Hillary Clinton over the Republican businessman on a range of issues, including immigration, health care and nominating Supreme Court justices.
Even when asked which of the two candidates would be best at “making American great” – the central promise of Trump’s campaign – Americans are slightly more likely to side with Clinton, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll.
The survey does reveal some potential trouble spots for Clinton. Trump is nearly even with her on whom Americans trust to handle the economy, which voters consistently rank as one of the top issues facing the country. Clinton is trusted more on the economy by 38 percent of Americans, while 35 percent side with Trump.
And despite Americans’ overall preference for Clinton on a host of issues, just 20 percent say she represents their own views very well on matters they care about, while 23 percent say somewhat well.
But as with most issues addressed in the AP-GfK poll, the numbers for Trump are even worse: Just 15 percent of Americans say he represents their views very well, and 14 percent say somewhat well.
Trump’s support with registered Republican voters also is soft on some issues, with less than 50 percent saying they trust him over Clinton on working with Congress or handling the U.S. image abroad. About a quarter of Republicans say they trust neither candidate on either of those issues.
Those figures underscore the work the real-estate mogul must do to shore up support within his own party if he’s the nominee.
Greg Freeman, an independent who leans Republican, said he would “absolutely not” trust Trump to handle major issues facing the United States.
“I think he would have the U.S. in wars at the drop of a hat. He would make the international community angry at the United States,” said Freeman, a 41-year-old from Walhalla, S.C. “He has a lot of comments on issues, but he has no solutions.”