There is little doubt the bigger bounce coming out of the conventions has gone to Hillary Clinton. Despite some butting of heads inside the Democratic convention at the beginning, Clinton is clearly coming out on top in the polls after the overall success in Philadelphia. As for Republican Donald Trump, the GOP convention was a virtual disaster and the polls have been unkind, to say the least. He’s even had the personal pleasure of telling someone they were fired over the botched effort. And if Trump thought the polls showing Hillary’s bounce were bad, he’s going to hate what new polling on specific issues shows.
According to a new CNN/ORC International poll, the public no longer trusts Donald Trump to handle virtually anything over Hillary Clinton. People were polled on twelve issues and asked who would “better handle” each as president. The results: Clinton is favored on ten issues, the candidates are tied on one, and Trump is now favored in just one measly area.
Results are shown from before and after both conventions and two facts are further solidified. One, Trump got little to no bounce after the RNC. Two, Clinton got a huge bounce after the DNC.
The only issue Trump actually wins on is gun policy and it’s barely a win. The GOP nominee enjoyed a seven point advantage before the conventions. That has now dwindled to just two points (50-48) after Cleveland and Philly.
Not only is Hillary winning nearly every other issue, she is ahead by significant margins in some areas. On the issue of race relations, Clinton holds a massive 27 point advantage. And maybe surprising to some, she also holds a huge 23 point lead on foreign policy. It is clear the attacks from conservatives over her handling of international relations as Secretary of State are not even remotely working. Her lead on this issue was just five points after the Republican convention.
One of the most significant changes in this poll was on the issue of the economy. Clinton had trailed on the issue for months and was down by eleven points after the RNC. She now holds a two point lead over the Republican standard bearer, meaning she managed a thirteen point swing after the Democratic convention on one of the most important issues to voters.
Hillary also holds double-digit leads over Trump on the issues of health care, trade, immigration and nominating Supreme Court justices.
Two other big swings in the poll worth noting are the issues of terrorism, in general, and ISIS, specifically. The candidates are tied on terrorism after Trump held an eleven point advantage post-Republican convention. As for ISIS, the Republican held a thirteen point lead prior to the conventions. Clinton now leads by one point, another massive change despite the Republicans fiery, fear-based convention rhetoric.
And it should be remembered this polling mostly took place prior to what has been Trump’s disastrous handling of the Khan family. Their speech made a clear impact at the DNC, but the aftermath has been possibly much more damaging to the GOP nominee. His handling of the grieving parents has been bashed by many, including some Republicans. Others in the GOP have openly announced they will be voting for Hillary Clinton after Trump’s ridiculous comments about the Khans. It’s clear upcoming polling could get even worse for the Republican presidential candidate.
As for now, one thing is clear. The country trusts Hillary Clinton more to handle nearly every issue as president. It doesn’t mean the race is over. But there is little doubt Donald Trump is struggling badly right now and things look to be getting worse by the day.