Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s lead over her opponent, Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, in the race has lessened to fewer than 3 percentage points, according to Reuters, at least. The results from the Reuters/Ipsos online poll from the July 31 – Aug 4 are intriguing.
In the poll, 1,235 respondents identified themselves as likely voters; 41.5 percent of them indicated they would vote for Hillary Clinton, and 39.1 percent said they would vote for Donald Trump in the general election.
Only 8.7 percent responded that they would vote for a third-party or independent candidate.
Hillary Clinton On The Decline?
Last Friday, that same poll showed that while about 41 percent were still likely Hillary voters, only 35 percent were planning on voting for Trump. Could this be part of an upward trend for the Republican nominee?
Trump has recently sought to bounce back. He announced his team of economic advisers on Friday.
Trump also endorsed House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) for re-election, a move that he had previously been hesitant to make. This is a complete flip-flop for Trump after he actively stated he would never endorse the Speaker.
Are his attempts to make amends with the GOP parlaying into a shift in the polls?
Trump Taking A Tumble
The answer seems to be no, as of the current moment. Looking at wider sampling of the available polling data, it becomes clear that the Reuters poll is an outlier. Most other polls give Hillary Clinton a substantial advantage – an advantage that doesn’t appear to be diminishing anytime soon.
Trump continues to get hammered in the media.
He had to walk back earlier statements he made claiming to have seen a “top secret” video showing the transfer of $400 million in cash to the Iranians. Mike Morell, former CIA chief, emphatically endorsed Hillary Clinton.
His Op-Ed in the New York Times said:
“The dangers that flow from Mr. Trump’s character are not just risks that would emerge if he became president. It is already damaging our national security.”
Ouch. The rumors of turmoil within his campaign and that he may potentially drop out of the race are doing him no favors either. If Donald Trump is going to turn things around in the polls, now would be the time to do it.
His chances at becoming President grow ever slimmer with each salvo of negative press fired in his direction.
This MSNBC panel provides some insight on Trump’s recent campaign woes:
Featured Image Courtesy Of Gage Skidmore Via Flickr/CC By SA-2.0.
