WATCH ABOVE: Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is just six weeks old, but he has already uttered a lifetime worth of memorable quotes.
Just as Republicans call for Donald Trump to take himself out of the running for the presidential nomination, new poll numbers put him even further ahead of the pack.
While a new poll for the Washington Post and ABC News suggests Trump is unscathed by his comments about immigrants, there’s a hint his comments about Arizona Senator and 2008 Republican Presidential candidate John McCain’s military service may not be sitting well with Americans.
The poll gave Trump an 11 percentage point lead over his nearest GOP rival (Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who entered the race July 13) among registered “Republican and Republican-leaning” voters.
The numbers were released before Trump held a campaign rally in Bluffton, South Carolina Tuesday afternoon, in which he took swipes at his fellow candidates and once again bragged about his wealth.
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There are now 16 Republican presidential hopefuls with Ohio Gov. John Kasich jumping in the race Tuesday.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, son of 41st President George H.W. Bush and brother of 43rd President George W. Bush, sat third just behind Walker at 12 per cent support. Bush’s fellow Floridian Sen. Marco Rubio is fourth with 11 per cent.
Republicans, among others, have slammed Trump for chiding McCain, who was held for more than five years as prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, saying the billionaire owes an apology to McCain and all U.S. veterans.
The telephone poll of 1,002 adults was conducted between July 16-19, meaning the last day of polling was the day after Trump made the McCain comments.
READ MORE: John McCain wants Donald Trump to apologize to veterans, not him
“Support for Trump fell sharply on the one night that voters were surveyed following those comments,” the Washington Post reported. “Although the sample size for the final day was small, the decline was statistically significant.”
“We need tone. We need enthusiasm,” Trump said of his fellow candidates blasting him for the comments about McCain and not being fans of his demeanour. He set his sights on former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who had 4 per cent support and South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham, who did not register any support according to the Washington Post/ABC News poll.
Trump called Graham an “idiot,” while Graham referred to Trump as a “jackass” on Monday.
Perry, on the other hand, demanded Trump drop out of the presidential race.
“His comments have reached a new low in American politics,” The Guardian reported Perry saying.
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Time will tell whether Trump’s outspokenness will damage his presidential hopes. As Vox’s Andrew Prokop pointed out, having 24 per cent support is not a majority of voters and the campaign is far from over.
“Additionally, Trump’s polling surge resembles those of past ‘outsider’ candidates known for saying provocative things, like Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, and Herman Cain — candidates who all eventually collapsed,” Prokop reported.
Presidential primaries don’t get underway until January. Election day is Nov. 8, 2016.
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