In the latest proof that Republican Donald Trump has tapped into the concerns of the working class, Gallup reports Friday that he beats Democrat Hillary Clinton on the issue of jobs.
When Americans were asked who would be the best president on jobs and employment, Trump topped Clinton 52 percent to 45 percent in the latest Gallup survey.
And Gallup editor Frank Newport said that Trump did even better on the question of who would be best for the economy. He wrote that Trump is doing favored because he is more focused on creating jobs.
From today’s report:
Donald Trump won by a modest margin — 52% to 45% — when we recently asked Americans whether he or Hillary Clinton would do a better job handling jobs and employment. He won by a slightly larger margin (53% to 43%) on the economy more generally. Trump’s campaign materials place a direct focus on jobs, and he claims that he would be the “jobs president,” telling various audiences without much in the way of specifics that he would bring back lost jobs in their region (e.g., coal mining jobs). His initiatives for building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico and rescinding trade treaties — both unpopular in and of themselves, based on our data — are ultimately aimed at creating more jobs.
Clinton’s economic focus is more of an effort to change access to jobs, except for her interest in spending more money on infrastructure and scientific research. She also focuses on compensation attached to jobs with her support for labor unions. But she is not as direct in putting forth the idea of creating jobs as is Trump.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
