Donald Trump’s declaration that Mexico and China are out to steal U.S. jobs appears to be winning him rave reviews in New Hampshire, even though he was panned by critics as being needlessly aggressive and even unstatesmanlike.
A poll released Thursday by CNN and WMUR in New Hampshire showed that Trump is far and away the leader when it comes to which GOP presidential candidate would do best on the economy and trade.
When asked which candidate can best handle the economy, 29 percent picked Trump, a number that was more than twice as high as those earned by the runner up: Jeb Bush, who got 13 percent.
Bush was actually beaten on that question by “don’t know/not sure,” which garnered 17 percent. After Bush, the next highest candidates were Carly Fiorina and Rand Paul, who each got 7 percent.
And on trade, Trump again killed the rest of the field, as 27 percent of those polled said he’s the best candidate. Bush was again the runner up, at 14 percent.
One GOP aide said the numbers were shocking given the size of the GOP field, and given that Trump appears to be a turnoff for many GOP primary voters. When asked which candidate GOP primary voters would never vote for “under any circumstance,” 23 percent named Trump, while Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie came in second at 10 percent.
Those numbers seem to indicate that while Trump’s unique and somewhat abrasive personality might make him a long-shot, he’s hitting on an issue that’s important to voters. Mainstream politicians have argued for decades that open trade is a boost to the economy and jobs, but Trump’s remarks appear to have resonated with those who are nervous about their job or aren’t working.
When Trump announced his candidacy, he slammed Washington for letting China, Japan and Mexico “eat our lunch,” and said he’d bring jobs back from those countries.
His comments drew a response from China, which didn’t name Trump, but stressed that economic cooperation between the two countries has never been greater.
Trump also slammed Mexico on immigration, saying that Mexico sends people to the U.S. who “have lots of problems,” including importing drugs and crime. He said some are “good people,” but nonetheless said he’d build a “great, great wall” along the southern border.
Mexico responded by saying migrants have made considerable contributions to America.
Those polled in New Hampshire didn’t seem to be that turned off by Trump. When asked who would best handle immigration, they gave the nod to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, at 16 percent. But Trump tied with Bush for second, at 13 percent.
Trump’s tough-guy act may have helped him in other areas. On terrorism, those polled favored Bush, but Trump came in second. And on health care, an issue that isn’t particularly associated with Trump, he came in third.
Trump has climbed up in the polls since his announcement, but in the week ending June 23, he was still in eighth place in an average of six major polls.
