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Mercury was reduced to a freeze during US President Donald Trump’s election rally in Omaha, Nebraska, this week, but even the brutal temperature could not keep die-hard fans away.
Seven people were hospitalized after traffic problems left thousands stranded for hours after the event, reportedly including elderly attendees who were treated for hypothermia.
But despite the harsh conditions, tens of thousands of fervent supporters flocked to the punishment event and were grateful to do so, as they have been throughout the election campaign.
Meanwhile, at Biden’s camp, it’s been a very different story.
While Trump’s rallies have drawn an onslaught of Make America Great A red hats again with long lines of energetic fans eager to catch a glimpse of their political hero, Biden’s have tended to be much more subdued affairs.
Not only have they been smaller in terms of crowd size, but they have also failed to match the vibrancy and enthusiasm of those the president had, and it’s a trend that started long before the coronavirus pandemic set in.
In fact, in May of last year, the left-leaning political site Politico reported that Biden’s pitching rally “paled alongside some of his rivals” and failed to draw the crowds seen by former Democratic candidates Elizabeth Warren. and Pete Buttigieg in Iowa, despite his much higher profile as the nation’s former vice president.
Politico reported that in the early stages of his campaign, the 77-year-old held events in “smaller venues where there is little danger of empty seats” and noted “the apparent lack of enthusiasm or crowded masses at his events.” which indicates a “lack of passion for his candidacy”.
In June, an Economist / YouGov poll found that more than twice as many Trump supporters were enthusiastic about their candidate as their Democratic counterparts, and just three months ago, a poll by the Associated Press-NORC Public Affairs Research Center also revealed that the Democratic nominee supporters were less enthusiastic than Republicans when it came to both the broader campaign and Biden himself.
The research found that only 31 percent of Biden supporters were “excited” compared to 42 percent of Trump devotees, and those on Team Biden also experienced more negative emotions such as anxiety and frustration.
And in September, another poll by the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics found that 56 percent of Americans who would likely support Trump were “very excited” to vote for him, compared with just 35 percent of those who would support Trump. Biden supporters, while an analysis of Facebook by Bath University PhD researcher Tristan Hotham has revealed that Joe Biden is “behind Hillary Clinton’s performance in 2016,” while Trump was “outperforming. 2016 “.
The phenomenon is so significant that it has even been given a nickname, the “enthusiasm gap,” and some are convinced it could mean Trump has this on the bag.
But others, including Professor John Kane, a political scientist at Griffith University, believe that widespread sentiment against Trump is a far more powerful factor than the tepid feelings many may have for Biden.
Kane told news.com.au that the enthusiasm gap “absolutely” existed, but it was less important than many might think.
“There is enthusiasm on the Democratic / Liberal side, but it is not as much enthusiasm for Biden as it is anti-Trump, that’s what that massive pre-election vote is getting, which has been unprecedented,” he said.
“Trump has a cultured following, but that can be very misleading … he looks good on TV, [but] if you’re taking it as a guide to how the elections are going to go, it would be wiser to see which way the polls are going.
While Kane said Trump could end up achieving “another miracle,” it was “difficult to see lightning strike twice” on November 3.
“There is a lot of anti-Trump sentiment and a lot of people are motivated to get rid of this guy,” he said.
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