A Republican Pollster on Trumps Undimmed Appeal

Published: Jan. 16, 2024, 10 a.m.

b"The fact that Donald Trump is the front-runner for the G.O.P. nomination in 2024 has created a chasm in our politics. In the past, Democrats and Republicans at least understood why members of the other party liked their chosen candidates. Most conservatives weren\\u2019t confused why liberals liked Barack Obama, and vice versa for George W. Bush. But for a lot of Democrats, it feels impossible to imagine why anyone would cast a vote for Trump. And as a result, the two parties don\\u2019t just feel hostile toward each other; they feel increasingly unknowable.\\n\\nKristen Soltis Anderson is a veteran Republican pollster, a founding partner of the opinion research firm Echelon Insights and a CNN contributor. She spends her days trying to understand the thinking of Republican voters, including hosting focus groups for New York Times Opinion. So I wanted to get her insights on why Republicans like Trump so much \\u2014 even after his 2020 electoral loss, the Jan. 6 insurrection and over 90 criminal charges. What really explains Trump\\u2019s enduring appeal?\\n\\nMentioned:\\n\\nResearcher application\\n\\nAssociate engineer application\\n\\nGallup's Presidential Job Approval Center\\n\\nBook Recommendations:\\n\\nSubtract by Leidy Klotz\\n\\nParty of the People by Patrick Ruffini\\n\\nWelcome to the O.C. by Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage and Alan Sepinwall\\n\\nThoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com.\\n\\nYou can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of \\u201cThe Ezra Klein Show\\u201d at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast, and you can find Ezra on Twitter @ezraklein. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.\\n\\nThis episode of \\u201cThe Ezra Klein Show\\u201d was produced by Kristin Lin. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris, Kate Sinclair and Mary Marge Locker. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld. Our senior editor is Claire Gordon. The show\\u2019s production team also includes Annie Galvin and Rollin Hu. Original music by Isaac Jones. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The executive producer of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser."