It’s never been all that hard to characterize former President Donald Trump as sitting at the top of a vast conservative cult of personality — one that’s traded right-wing policy goals and even party affiliation for the more nebulous satisfaction of fascistic, strong-man beatification. But what does that actually mean, in terms of cold, hard data? Look no further than a new poll that shows the degree to which Trump has supplanted the GOP itself as the focal point for nearly half of all Republicans.
According to an NBC News poll released Sunday, barely half of Republican and lean-Republican voters support the actual Republican Party over Trump individually, down from 58% this spring to a sparse 50% today. Conversely, 41% of respondents said they supported Trump himself over the GOP — up seven points from this spring — while an anemic 4% responded “both.”
