A new Washington Post-ABC News poll, finds Hillary Clinton doubling her lead over Donald Trump from two to four points, which is within the poll’s 4 percent margin of error:
- Clinton and Kaine – 47%
- Trump and Pence – 43%
- Johnson and Weld – 5%
- Stein and Baraka – 2%
The Washington Post reports that the poll was conducted after the release of the 2005 video in which Trump spoke about taking sexual advantage of women and “during a time when numerous women have accused him of sexual misconduct.” And even though nearly 7 in 10 respondents believe Trump probably made unwanted sexual advances, and a majority say his apology for what he said on that tape was insincere, the controversy appears to “have had only a minimal impact on his overall support.”
The Post’s article suggest perceptions of Trump changed only a little in the aftermath of the “Access Hollywood” video because he was judged so negatively before the video became public.
Trump’s counter attack that what former president Bill Clinton did and has been accused of doing regarding women is far worse and that Hillary intimidated Bill’s accusers finds support among only a minority of voters. According to the Post, when asked to compare Trump’s vs. Bill Clinton’s treatment of women or what Hillary Clinton did on behalf of her husband — there is no equivalence. While 55 percent say the issue of Trump’s treatment of women is a legitimate issue in the campaign, 62 percent say what Hillary Clinton may have done is not a legitimate issue, and 67 percent say Bill Clinton’s treatment is not a legitimate issue.
Both Hillary and Trump continue to be viewed unfavorably and as not honest and trustworthy by majorities of Americans:
Clinton’s current net negative is 14 points (42 favorable and 56 percent unfavorable), while Trump’s is 25 points (37 percent favorable and 62 percent unfavorable).
At the same time, neither is viewed as honest and trustworthy, with 60 percent of likely voters saying Clinton is not and 62 percent saying Trump is not.
The Post-ABC poll confirms, as we reported yesterday, a majority of likely voters say Trump is not qualified to be president:
Six in 10 say Clinton is qualified to be president, consistent with views of her readiness over many months. Meanwhile, almost 6 in 10 (57 percent) of likely voters say Trump is not qualified, also a level that has moved little through the course of the general election.
On the question of fitness — who has the kind of personality and temperament to serve as president — there is a similar mismatch between the candidates. Almost 6 in 10 likely voters say Clinton has the right temperament, while 62 percent say Trump does not.
ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted October 10-13, 2016 and has a margin of error of 4 percent for likely voters.
Going forward Trump should focus on policy and stop attacking his attackers. But at this point it is more than clear that Trump is just going to be Trump.
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