Donald Trump is increasingly failing to bring Bernie Sanders supporters into the Republican tent.
Unsurprisingly for those of us who have met Sanders supporters, the idea that Trump can win Bernie crossover votes is not evidenced by the polls.
According to Real Clear Politics:
A new poll this week, however, shows signs of Sanders’ supporters moving to Clinton. A Washington Post-ABC News survey shows 8 percent of Sanders backers prefer Trump to Clinton, down from 20 percent last month. The poll also spells trouble for GOP party unity under Trump, with 88 percent of Democrats supporting Clinton and 79 percent of Republicans backing their nominee — with a third saying he is unqualified for office.
Some have suggested that Trump could appeal to Sanders supporters with his protectionist trade policies and proposed tariffs. While those policies are jarring to many in the conservative movement, they do not seem likely to convince young college-educated progressive white people that Donald Trump—media villain of the Culture Wars— is the way to go.
As of last month, Trump had less than 20 percent favorability with Sanders supporters according to a Washington Post poll.
Trump is running on a unique platform based on a Grover Norquist-style tax cut program that favors the poor, a desire to save Social Security and Medicare in their current versions, and also a protectionist trade plan centered on imposing tariffs on other countries. He is also running on building a border wall with Mexico and temporarily banning migrants from terrorist-heavy countries.
Trump is certainly conservative in some respects, and more of a populist constructionist in others, but it looks like he will not have to go too far Left in this general election. The Bernie people are, by and large, not getting on board.
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