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Donald Trump More Popular Than Ronald Reagan, Likely To Win Elections

By Val Powell
Published on: 22:02 PST, Dec 16, 2015

Donald Trump emerged as the crowd favorite for the Republican primary campaign with followers greater in number than former President Ronald Reagan.

According to Weekly Standard, Trump leads the Republican primary by 23 or 27 points despite the harsh remarks he made about immigrants and Muslims. The business mogul reportedly has more than double the support of fellow Republican Ted Cruz. Right now, his lead over his rivals is now being compared to Reagan’s and Bush’s.

For the Democrats, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton leads opponent Bernie Sanders by 19 or 20 points. While Clinton’s numbers are relatively stable, Trump’s are going up, which means he is a strong contender for the position.

While Clinton is stronger in Iowa than Trump, it seems the business tycoon has a greater following in New Hampshire.

Donald Trump as President is no longer far from reality, considering his surging popularity. David Burstein, founder of “Run For America,” a political reform group, said Trump is “just as competitive — and perhaps more so — as either John McCain, in 2008, or Mitt Romney, in 2012.” Burstein also added that the leading GOP candidate has the potential to gain the votes of those people who do not pay much attention to politics, especially reality TV viewers.

Critics now argue that he could win the elections just like Reagan during the 1980s. In fact, he and Reagan have many things in common.

  • Both men were not cut out for the position according to political pundits. Like Trump, most people doubted if Reagan could win the presidential elections until he was elected twice. Today, most political analysts doubt Trump’s chances of winning the race, but he proved he is a candidate to watch out for after leading recent polls.

Even President Barrack Obama did not think that he would become the next U.S. President. “He is a great publicity-seeker — and at a time when the Republican Party hasn’t really figured out what it’s for as opposed to what it’s against,” Obama said recently. “He is, you know, the classic reality-TV character.”

Jeffrey Lord, a former aide to Reagan, told The Telegraph that, just like the real-estate mogul, former president Reagan was not taken seriously. “Reagan was ridiculed as ‘not serious’ and a B-movie actor, and they said over and over he could never win — until he did. It’s happening again. I really feel it.”

Listen to Michael Reagan Explain the Comparison Between Donald Trump and His Father

  • Both are Washington outsiders. Reagan served as Governor of California but never served in Congress, while Trump never held political office.
  • Trump holds similar views as Reagan on illegal immigration. The reality TV celebrity is outspoken when it comes to his views on immigration, going as far as to suggest setting up surveillance for Syrian refugees in the U.S. Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act in 1986 that prohibits hiring illegal immigrants in the U.S.
  • They were once Democrats before switching camps.
  • Reagan and Trump were both TV celebrities. Reagan was a renowned TV personality with programs called General Electric Theater and Death Valley Days in the 50s and 60s. Trump made his name in reality TV with The Apprentice and Celebrity Apprentice.
  • Both supported gun rights and the Second Amendment.
  • Both men were pro tax reduction.

Donald Trump Declares His Stand on Abortion

  • Trump, just like Reagan was pro-life. The reality star and real-estate mogul switched from being pro-choice to being pro-life.
  • Trump and Reagan are both passionate about their beliefs. According to Reagan’s son, Michael, Trump is winning over many followers because “he speaks from his own passion.” Reagan was also noted for his exceptional communication skills.

[Images by Bill Pugliano, Getty Images]

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