On Monday, pollster Frank Luntz assembled a 29-person focus group to assess the political strength of Donald Trump who has risen to the top of Republican preference polls.
“His support is much more solid than I ever would have expected.”
Luntz and GOP front-runner Donald Trump have history. During a forum in Iowa this summer, Luntz asked a question of Trump and John McCain calling Americans crazies. When Trump responded, Luntz interrupted the billionaire’s comment that McCain was a hero. Trump finished his response with “because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.” Trump, later attacked Luntz on his Twitter feed.
.@FrankLuntz: “There has been genuine movement towards Trump and it’s because of his persona not his policies.”
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) August 26, 2015
Luntz, the organizer of the focus group, polled for Ross Perot during a 1992 independent presidential campaign that pulled 19% of the vote. But the Trump phenomenon is different, he said.
Gathered in a conference room near Washington, D.C., Trump backers gave a variety of reasons for their intense support. Negative news reports about Trump didn’t faze these voters because they don’t trust the news media, Luntz pointed out.
Frank Luntz’s legs are going wobbly as @realDonaldTrump remains large and in charge on 2016 campaign trail: http://t.co/t7WH9ey2MQ
— Matthew Boyle (@mboyle1) August 25, 2015
Luntz’s bottom line: Trump’s support is “absolutely real,” committed, and probably durable, despite intense Republican opposition to the businessman’s style, lack of political experience, and virulent attacks on critics.
“He is not going away,” Luntz said. “He’s got his base, and his base cannot be broken.”
After conducting the focus group, Luntz said he has been surprised by Trump’s rise in the polls, but it is now a political fact of life. The billionaire has a base of support that could range from 20% to 30%, a huge number in a race with up to 17 candidates.
I used to be a supporter of Luntz but the more I see the media and their bias coverage, the more I pull away from each of them and research things on my own. What do you think about Luntz’s turnaround? Share your comments below and add this story to your Twitter/Facebook timeline for discussion.
