The main thing that most American voters agree on is that this year’s presidential race gives us a clear choice. According to the most recent CNN study by SSRS, 91% of registered voters say they see big differences between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. This is a much higher percentage than the 77% of voters who said there were big differences between the Democratic and Republican parties last fall. Some people, called “double haters,” don’t like either Biden or Trump. However, only 20% of these people say that the two candidates are pretty much the same.
CNN asked people what they thought was the most important difference between the two candidates so they could get a better idea of how people feel about the election’s importance. The results show that the differences that people remember most aren’t always about policies. Some voters talked about the economy, immigration, or a commitment to democracy, which are often at the top of voters’ lists this year. Others, however, were more interested and personal traits, with honesty, ability to do the job, and perceived motivations being some of the traits most often brought up as differentiators.
Some people thought Biden and Trump were very different in important ways. These included honesty and integrity (17%), mental fitness or ability to do the job (15%), love for the country or patriotism (10%), self-serving or egotistical motivations (10%), and effectiveness or performance in office (8%). Another 8% talked about keeping democracy or the Constitution safe, while 7% talked about immigration and 6% talked about business. A lot of the time, voters’ answers to the questions covered more than one subject. Some voters gave more general answers, like saying that each candidate had different views or policies.
The people who supported each candidate gave very different accounts of the race. When voters chose Biden over Trump in a straight-up race, they often did so because they liked Biden’s character better. 31% of people who thought there were big differences between the candidates said they were honest or had integrity. About 18% said they were motivated by self-interest or egotism, usually on Trump’s part, and 15% said they were aware of his criminal conviction or the other charges he is currently facing.
As one Biden fan in her 70s from South Carolina wrote in the poll, “Trump is a low-down lying scoundrel who only cares about himself; Biden, I think, really does care for the American people.”
A woman in her 20s from Florida who supports Biden wrote, “One is a convicted felon.” If I wouldn’t date a criminal, why would I vote for one as president?
Concerns about democracy have consistently ranked high as an election problem for Biden supporters this year, according to polls like this one. A lot of people also think that his support for democracy is the most important difference between him and Trump: One sixteenth of Biden fans who think there are differences between the two candidates said that the most important difference is between them and the Constitution and democracy. Others talked about fascism or how they thought Trump was the most dangerous person in the country.
A man in his 70s from California wrote, “Biden supports and defends our constitution, democracy, and rule of law, while Trump actively works to undermine and destroy our constitution, democracy, and rule of law.” What Trump really wants is to get rid of all the limits on his power so that he can do whatever he wants to anyone he wants.
Supporters of Trump, on the other hand, said that the main difference between the two candidates was mental health, or the ability to do the job. This was said by about 24% of those who thought there were important differences between Trump and Biden.
One Texan in his 70s wrote, “Joe Biden is the first President in my lifetime who is mentally unfit to be our President.” He said he was going to vote for Trump this fall. “He has no idea what’s going on in this country, and I don’t think he can make a good decision that is in the best interest of the USA.”
Another 15% said they loved their country, were patriotic, or believed in America First. Eleven percent said they were successful or did a good job in office.
As one Trump fan in her 30s wrote, “Trump saw that people in this country of the USA needed help and he went out of his way to help.” “At first, I didn’t like Trump, but since we got Joe, we’ve only been hurt.”
About 11% of Trump voters who thought the two candidates were different said that they were different on the economy or immigration. When asked to name the most important problems in the election, Trump supporters always say these two things.
“Gov. Trump cut the price of my gas and groceries,” wrote a 20-something woman from New York. “Under Biden, I can’t pay my bills.”
Some people said bad things about both Biden and Trump when they talked about how they were different.
A New Mexican in his 30s wrote, “They are both awful, but in very different ways.” He said he planned to vote for independent candidate Cornel West. “Biden should be made to retire, and Trump should be jailed.”
Some people were just as negative, even if they had chosen to vote for a candidate from the major party.
“Biden is a stupid old fool.” “Trump is a liar, but he has a clear head,” said a guy in his 70s in Virginia. He said he was voting for Trump mostly to oppose Biden.
Another person in their 20s from California said they voted for Biden mostly because they didn’t like Trump. They wrote, “One is a coherent liar, one is an incoherent truther.”
