It's happening: Trump's base finally begins to flee

Donald Trump can tweet all he wants about how vibrant and loyal his political base, the way he did Monday morning, claiming, “The Trump base is far bigger & stronger than ever before.” But if Trump can’t accomplish anything — if he can’t repeal Obamacare — the base is going to flee. And they’re going to view him as just another failed politician.

Lots of Republican voters already do.

“Trump’s base is shrinking,” says pollster Alex Conant. “He cannot take continued GOP support for granted in swing states.” A batch of new polling data supports that conclusion.

For months, the press has marveled at Trump’s loyal base and rushed in to interview his biggest fans in small towns from red counties in Ohio, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Trump’s base was viewed as a kind of golden shield that would protect him from any political peril. Trump was portrayed as having an almost mythical bond with his supporters.

But that shield now features major cracks. And for a president who has done nothing since being sworn into office to try to expand his political base, those cracks are especially dangerous. The erosion comes as more Republicans in Congress, no longer worried about Trump’s warrior base, are openly defying a White House that often appears to be completely dysfunctional. And a stumbling president who the Boy Scouts of America had to distance themselves from not once, but twice in the span of six days.

In the latest CNN poll results, Trump’s “strong approval” among Republicans dropped from 73 percent in February, to 59 percent now. “Among whites who do not have college degrees, a core component of Trump’s base, just 35% strongly approve, down 12 points since February,” CNN reports.

Meanwhile, Trump’s cascade of lies is damaging his trust with GOP voters. “Even among Republicans, only about half say they can trust most of what they hear from the White House,” according to the poll. Only a quarter of all voters say they believe the information coming out of the White House.

Last week’s Quinnipiac poll discovered Trump’s approval rating was underwater among white voters without college degrees. His overall GOP support slipped from 84 percent in June to 76 percent today. The Quinnipiac poll pegged Trump’s overall approval rating at 33 percent, a new national low for him.

Additionally, a new survey among likely midterm voters in Florida, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Pennsylvania finds that “Trump’s base of support has shrunk from 35.3% of voters who have a ‘strongly favorable’ view of him in April to only 28.6%.”

Trump is going to need a new shield to protect himself.