Hillary Clinton supporters are overwhelming afraid of a Trump administration. Donald Trump’s backers are excited.
Those are the key findings of a new Gallup survey, released Friday.
Three of four people said they were surprised by the result – including 62 percent of Trump voters and 88 percent of Clinton voters.
The poll, conducted Wednesday, found three of four Clinton supporters said they were “afraid” of Trump becoming president, while 80 percent of Trump backers were “excited.”
Fifty-eight percent of Clinton backers were angry. Sixty-two percent of Trump supporters were surprised.
The split in attitudes was clear. Overall, 40 percent said they were relieved, while 42 percent called themselves afraid. Thirty-five percent were excited while 34 per cent were devastated.
Gallup also found some contrast with eight years ago, when President Barack Obama was elected.
“The vast majority of Americans felt ‘proud’ that their country had elected a black president, seeing it as a monumental milestone,” Gallup’s Jim Norman wrote. More than two-thirds had a favorable view of Obama.
“Two presidential elections later, reactions are far different to Trump, who has the lowest favorable rating of any major presidential candidate in more than 50 years and who trails Clinton in the popular vote,” Gallup said.
There is this hope for Trump, though: Reactions this year don’t differ a lot from 2012. Obama’s re-election four years ago did not evoke the same level of excitement as his historic win in 2008 did. Significantly fewer said they were “proud” or “excited,” and more said they were “afraid.”
David Lightman: 202-383-6101, @lightmandavid
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