Trump re-election launch fails to register in Wisconsin

The most striking finding during this period is that Trump's re-election launch is barely mentioned. One might expect a large proportion of conversations to exist for or against Trump's desire to be returned to the White House in 2020. Yet, disappointingly for team Trump, their effort hardly registers among everyday Wisconsinites*. That is not to say that the man himself is not spoken of. He entirely dominates the in-state political discussion. However only 13% is in his favour. Of particular concern to Trump should be the level of dissatisfaction expressed over his administration’s handling of the crisis in Iran - with few supporters coming to his defence. For the Democrat Party, on the day of the first primary TV debate, opportunity knocks.

 

Negative Discussion 36%

There is no point in sugar coating it, these people hate Trump. The more polite call him mad, a lunatic or a clown. Many describe his behaviour as embarrassing, whilst for others he is simply terrifying

 

Similarly people express fear and incredulity over Trump's actions against Iran. While some see his overall policy in the region as misguided at best, others feel that his handling over the Iranian crisis is confused and inept. Overall there is real fear that this will lead to an avoidable war which will result in many American lives being lost. The perception is that this is all the more likely due to influential ‘war mongers’ existing in Trump's immediate circle and within the GOP

 

Immigration is once again a lightning rod for criticism - particularly from the left. In addition to their opposition against the separation of families on the Mexico/US border, accusations that Trump is creating 'concentration camps' to house immigrants are being widely shared and commented upon

 

Positive Discussion 13%

A large proportion of this conversation is spent defending Trump against accusations of corruption, particularly regarding Russian interference in the 2016 elections. Interestingly, much of the counter attack accuses Democrats of hypocrisy, citing the behaviour of Clinton during the period rather than defending the actions of Trump directly

 

Whilst his re-election launch is mentioned, this is only in passing as supporters post that he 'will win again'. Disappointingly for Trump - during the week of his election launch - this amounts to only a tiny amount of the overall conversation among everyday Wisconsinites*

 

Policy wise, Trump’s message on immigration continues to resonate. His supporters applaud him for his tough stance and urge him to arrest illegal immigrants for breaking the law. Meanwhile others point out that while Trump addresses the problem on the Mexican border and deals with the economy, Democrats speak of impeachment and play D.C. games

 

 *campaign and media messages where extracted from the data