Donald Trump Is Losing His ‘Rust Belt Base,’ CNN Polling Analyst Says

CNN polling analyst Harry Enten penned a Sunday piece for the publication in which he claimed that Donald Trump his losing his base of support in the Rust Belt.

According to Enten, Trump’s success in 2016 hinged largely on his victories in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which he won primarily due to his reach with white voters with no college degree. Now, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is allegedly leading the president in the Rust Belt states that will purportedly determine whether the president can win at the ballot box in November.

“These gains have big implications for the electoral college because they suggest Biden’s easiest path to victory may be through these three states.”

Enten attributed Biden’s upward climb in these critical regions to his improved reach with caucasian Americans and compared this trajectory to Hillary Clinton in 2016. Notably, the 2020 Democratic presumptive nominee’s current standing in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin are significantly improved from the margins that the former Secretary of State lost by in the same regions.

“The key takeaway here isn’t the exact shift in each state (which is subject to a margin of error), but that what we’re seeing nationally in regards to White voters is occurring in the key Rust Belt states as well. Using the method nationally, Biden’s improved from Clinton’s 15-point loss to a mere 3-point deficit against Trump in the latest live interview polls.”

According to the CNN analyst, if current trends hold true until November, Biden’s easier path to defeating Trump is to gain 270 electoral votes in the Rust Belt.

Per Politico, Trump’s loss of ground in Pennsylvania is particularly concerning. As the publication noted, he became the first Republican presidential candidate to win the state since 1988, largely due to his appeal to caucasian blue-collar workers, as well as older and suburban voters.

Now, RealClearPolitics’ polling average puts Biden six points ahead of Trump. Despite this margin, some Democrats are still worried that Biden could lose the key region and point to the confidence behind Clinton’s campaign that ultimately led to a defeat.

Elsewhere, in Michigan, Alternet reported that Trump’s campaign recently suspended advertising in the area due to poor poll numbers. Notably, select polls have put Biden in a double-digit lead over Trump in the area.

As The Inquisitr reported, Steve Bannon, Trump’s former White House Chief Strategist, said that the Democrat’s recent “Build Back Better” economic plan is an attempt to lift Trump’s successful 2016 campaign, which was driven by its reach in Rust Belt areas.