Whit Ayres’ comments to The Wall Street Journal regarding Elon Musk: “Federal employees are a whole lot more popular than Elon Musk,” said Republican pollster Whit Ayres, who recently conducted a survey looking at feelings about federal workers and the role Musk is playing in downsizing the size and scope of the U.S. government. “The...
Whit Ayres’ comments to Politico about the Wisconsin judicial election: But many in the party are still concerned. Whit Ayres, a GOP pollster, saw Wisconsin results as more of a referendum on Musk, who made himself a central character in the race, than on Trump himself. “Elon Musk is hurting Donald Trump, there’s no question...
“Never deny the undeniable and never defend the indefensible.”
Political ClimateWhit AyresMarch 28, 2025
Whit Ayres’ comments to Bloomberg regarding revelations about Administration officials using Signal to discuss sensitive material: “Two of the keys to credibility are to never deny the undeniable and never defend the indefensible,” said Whit Ayres, a Republican strategist. “Multiple members of the Administration have been doing both over the last 48 hours.” “If you’re...
“Something is going to blow up in a way that affects normal people outside the Beltway.”
Political ClimateTrumpWhit AyresMarch 6, 2025
Whit Ayres’ comments in The Washington Post after President Trump’s speech to the joint session of Congress: Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster, suggested that the many actions by Trump and the potential volatility around them will eventually cost the president. “Something is going to blow up in a way that affects normal people outside the...
Whit Ayres’ comments to The Wall Street Journal regarding presidential mandates: While Trump and his aides claim a voter mandate—the president won all seven swing states—the U.S. remains divided. Trump risks reading too much into his electoral victory, GOP pollster Whit Ayres said, and the president should keep in mind the fate of his predecessor....
“Donald Trump is sui generis.”
Political ClimateTrumpWhit AyresJanuary 20, 2025
Whit Ayres’ comments to NBC News: “Let’s face it. Donald Trump is sui generis,” Ayres said. “There’s no one out there like him. No one with his mix of bravado, charisma, political instincts and entertainment value on the horizon in either party. It’s hard to imagine Trumpism without Donald Trump.” To read the full article,...
“Republicans always seem to take the hit during government shutdowns.”
Government SpendingPolitical ClimateRepublicansWhit AyresDecember 19, 2024
Whit Ayres spoke with Time magazine about the potential for a government shutdown: When the government shut down in 2013, the GOP’s favorable rating sank and it took the entire year to recover, says Whit Ayres, a Republican strategist and pollster. “Republicans always seem to take the hit during government shutdowns,” Ayres says. “So I’m...
Whit Ayres’ comments to ABC News regarding Donald Trump’s comeback victory: Key to Trump’s political staying power, strategists on both sides of the aisle said, is the way he’s managed to reorient the GOP’s image from “Country Club Republicans” to the party of the working class despite being a billionaire himself and despite some of...
Whit Ayres was cited by E.J. Dionne in his column exploring Donald Trump’s victory: The facts were part of a slide that Republican pollster Whit Ayres regularly included in his pre-election presentations. Ayres would contrast the average inflation rate during Trump’s and Joe Biden’s presidencies (1 percent vs. 5 percent); interest rates (3 percent under...
“There’s really a small number in most political campaigns of voters who are truly persuadable.”
Dan JudyPolitical ClimatePresidential ContestOctober 29, 2024
Dan Judy’s comments in The Atlantic about persuadable voters: If people are tuning out, it might not matter much for the election results. Most people already know whom they’re going to vote for; the universe of truly undecided voters is very small—likely less than 15 percent of the electorate. “The vast, vast, vast majority of...
