Polls indicate that evangelical Christians are losing their trust in Donald Trump

The argument

Trump has by and large implemented policies most white evangelical Christians support. Nonetheless, his handling of the pandemic response has led to some re-evaluating their views on the president. Recent surveys suggest his approval rating among this demographic, one of his largest in the 2016 election, may have fallen down to 69%. More specifically, Trump is struggling to raise support from evangelical women, with 76% of men stating their support compared to 63% of women. Another cause for concern for the Trump campaign is that the anti-Biden sentiment is nowhere close to the level of hostility of the evangelical community towards Hillary Clinton. While Trump’s attacks on Hillary Clinton were very effective in increasing public animosity towards her, attacks on Biden do not have the same strength. Trump may present himself as a champion for conservative views and policies, but his handling of the pandemic and his continued denial of any mistakes made is taking its toll on his chances in the election.

Premises

Counter-arguments

Will this be enough to change votes? Figures suggest 8 in 10 white evangelicals would still vote for him. Joe Biden stands against many of the views they oppose and with a Supreme Court position once again empty, the race to fill it is on.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Sixty-nine per cent approval is a high figure, not a low one: the premise reports a decline within overwhelming support, which does not establish the position that evangelicals do not support him. [Rejecting P2] A gap between 76% and 63% still leaves majorities in both groups, so the premise records variation in the strength of support rather than its absence. [Rejecting P3] Comparative hostility toward an opponent is not a measure of support for a candidate, and the counter identifies what was driving the vote in any case — a Supreme Court vacancy and a rival opposed on the issues these voters ranked highest.