In a stark warning for Donald
Trump as he eyes a possible general election showdown with Hillary Clinton,
Americans trust the Democratic front-runner more than the Republican
businessman to handle a wide range of issues — from immigration to health care to
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 is also
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, South Carolina. “He has a lot of
comments on issues, but he has no solutions.”
While Clinton and Trump are the favorites to face off in
the fall campaign, obstacles remain, particularly for the Republican
billionaire. He’s leading in the delegate count, but needs to perform better in
the upcoming final primaries in order to reach the 1,237 delegates needed to
clinch the nomination. If he fails to hit that number, the GOP contest will be
decided at the party’s convention in July — and it’s unclear whether Trump’s
slim campaign operation is prepared for that complex challenge.
Clinton has yet to shake Democratic challenger Bernie
Sanders, a Vermont senator who has energized young voters with his calls for
breaking up Wall Street banks and making tuition free at public colleges and
universities.
While Sanders faces tough odds of overtaking Clinton, who
has a commanding lead in delegates, his continued presence in the race has
rankled the former secretary of state and prevented her from fully turning her
attention toward the general election.
Still, Clinton has been starting to draw a contrast with
her potential Republican opponents, namely Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, his
closest rival.
“I’m really looking forward to debating either Donald
Trump or Ted Cruz,” Clinton said Friday. “Mr. Trump, tell me again about how
you’re going to build this wall and make the Mexicans pay for it. Tell me again
why you think it’s a good idea for Japan and South Korea to develop nuclear
weapons.”
Trump’s campaign appears well-aware of the need to bolster
the businessman’s policy credentials. He’s recently expanded on his foreign
policy views, including questioning U.S. participation in the NATO military
alliance and suggesting some Asian nations may need nuclear weapons. Campaign
officials have also said Trump plans to give a series of policy speeches in the
coming weeks.
Clinton’s edge over Trump on the issues spans foreign and
domestic policy.
She holds a significant advantage on handling immigration,
health care, the U.S. image abroad, filling Supreme Court vacancies,
international trade and working with Congress. Her biggest advantage is on
handling gender equality issues, with 55 percent of Americans trusting her and
just 12 percent backing Trump.
Clinton has a slimmer lead over Trump on which candidate
is trusted to protect the country, with 37 percent backing the Democrat and 31
percent backing the Republican. The margin is similar when Americans were asked
who they trusted to handle the threat posed by the Islamic State group.
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