November 2017 National Poll

Majority of Americans Say Trump Should Not Run for Re-Election in 2020

See the complete poll. Read the Newsweek story.

NOVEMBER 14, 2017″More than half of respondents in a new poll said President Trump should not run for re-election in 2020, with an increasing number of Americans calling for a new candidate in the next election.

The national poll, the third this year conducted for the University of Delaware’s Center for Political Communication by RABA Research, found that 54% of those questioned said Trump should not run for a second term as President. In a startling gender divide, the majority of men (53%) say they believe he should run, and the majority of women (60%) believe he should not. When broken down by party, just 16% of Democrats said he should run, compared with 77% of Republicans. In a possible sign of a growing fissure within the GOP, 23% of Republican respondents said President Trump should not be the party’s standard-bearer in 2020.

“Not many polls have historically asked about re-election so early in a President’s term, as favorability tends to drop over time,” says Dr. Lindsay Hoffman, Director of the National Agenda Project. “For example, a Gallup poll in early 2010 showed 84% of Democrats thought Obama deserved re-election, compared with 10% of Republicans. That we are seeing similar numbers so early in Trumps term is surprising.”

When asked about several tax reform proposals before Congress, a majority of respondents were not yet sold on changing the current law. Only 33% supported a reduction in corporate taxes, with 44% opposed and the rest unsure. A plurality of respondents backed the elimination of tax breaks for those who pay student loan interest or medical expenses, but more than half were either opposed to those changes or weren’t sure at this point.

Consistent with previous polling, when it comes to trust in various groups and institutions, cynicism towards the federal government in Washington (52% distrust) was outstripped only by disdain towards Hollywood (62% distrust).

About the poll

Interviews of 659 adults were conducted November 11, 2017, via an automated phone survey. The results were weighted to ensure a proportional response. The margin of error for these results is +/- 3.66%. For questions on methodology, please email: [email protected] or call 917-685-4819. The National Agenda Opinion Project research is funded by the University of Delaware’s nonpartisan Center for Political Communication (CPC). The study was supervised by the CPC’s Associate Director, Lindsay Hoffman (Associate Professor) and Paul Brewer (Professor) in the Departments of Communication and Political Science & International Relations.