The GOP’s nightmare is Trump bolting the party and running as an independent, a scenario in which prominent strategists like former top White House adviser Karl Rove argue the Republican vote would split and the election would be handed to Democrats.
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Yet while more Republican voters seem comfortable with Trump’s controversial proposal, it is still fiercely opposed by most Americans.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted this week, which includes responses from before and after Trump made his proposal on Monday, shows he still holds a commanding lead in the Republican race.
Forty-one percent said they feel Trump’s rhetoric is “frequently insulting” and “the wrong approach”, while on the opposite end of the spectrum 22 percent said they approve of his approach.
She added, “this latest demand that we not let Muslims into our country really plays right into the hands of the terrorists, and I don’t say that lightly, but it does”. But 24% say he’s raising important issues, even if they are bothered by his manner and language.
Across all parties, the poll found that 59 percent of Americans had a favorable opinion of Muslims, a figure that has remained relatively unchanged since 2002.
Among Republicans, 43 percent have a positive view of Muslims, but 48 percent view them unfavorably.
Democrats, in comparison, saw Muslims at rate of 75 percent favorably compared to 14 percent unfavorably.
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The survey of 1,000 USA adults, 400 of whom were reached by cell phone, was taken December 6-9 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
