Trump’s 'contemptible misogynist behavior' will 'only strengthen' his bond with GOP voters: conservative

22 May 2023

Despite his many legal problems, Donald Trump remains the frontrunner in the 2024 GOP presidential primary. Polls released in mid-May found the former president leading his likely rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, by 42 percent (Harvard/Harris) or 45 percent (Rasmussen) in hypothetical matchups.

DeSantis' supporters, however, are hoping that he will fare better in polls if, as expected, he formally announces a presidential run this Wednesday, May 24.

Republican strategist and Never Trump conservative Sarah Longwell analyzes Trump's relationship with GOP primary voters in an article published by The Bulwark on May 22. And she laments that the ex-president's legal woes will not hurt him a bit with them.

"When a jury found Donald Trump liable for sexually assaulting and defaming E. Jean Carroll," Longwell explains, "it drove home one of the grosser features of our political era: No amount of contemptible behavior from Donald Trump toward women creates political problems for him with GOP primary voters. It didn't in 2016 or 2020 and it isn't now."

As founder of the anti-Trump conservative group the Republican Accountability Project (formerly Republican Voters Against Trump), Longwell studies Republican voters extensively. And she compares their bond with Trump to being in an abusive relationship.

"Most of the women voters who backed Trump in 2016 and 2020 aren't walking away," Longwell warns. "In many cases, his behavior — and Democrats' and the courts' attempts to hold him accountable — only strengthens their support for him. Even those who condemn his misogyny often say it's not a dealbreaker. At this point, eight years into the Trump era, the sexism is internalized by his supporters. And even shared by some of them."

Sarah Longwell's full article for The Bulwark is available at this link.

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