Voters trust former President Donald Trump more than Vice President Kamala Harris when it comes to foreign policy, according to a poll released Monday.
Cato Institute Consignment YouGov will poll 1,500 Americans in the key battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Most notably, the survey found that voters in each state trust Trump by 4 percentage points more than Harris to handle foreign policy.
Kate writes:
They think Trump is more likely to keep Americans out of foreign wars and conflicts (Wisconsin: 52%, Pennsylvania: 51%, Michigan: 52%), help end the war in Ukraine (Wisconsin: 51%, Pennsylvania: 50%, Michigan: 54%), and make foreign policy decisions that put American interests first (Wisconsin: 51%, Pennsylvania: 54%, Michigan: 56%).
The poll also found three states in which Trump and Harris are neck and neck: in Michigan, Trump leads Harris 48-47%, in Pennsylvania they're tied at 47%, and in Wisconsin, Harris leads Trump 51-46%.
“With such a close race, public opinion on foreign policy could influence the outcome,” Cato's Emily Ekins explained. “In fact, majorities of voters in these three battleground states say they are unlikely to vote for a candidate who disagrees with them on foreign policy (Wisconsin: 52%, Pennsylvania: 50%, Michigan: 52%).”
Majorities of voters in battleground states want the United States to cut or stop aid to Ukraine, and majorities of voters in those states believe a war in Ukraine could lead to a broader war in Europe.
A majority of voters believe that U.S. involvement in the Middle East only worsens U.S. national security, and eight in 10 voters in battleground states believe the U.S. cannot resolve conflicts in the region, even if it provides more money, troops and resources.
Cato writes about the results of a public opinion poll on the Israel-Hamas conflict:
Eight in 10 voters in battleground states say the way Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, is unacceptable. But voters are divided on how Israel should respond: Eight in 10 voters in battleground states support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Seven in ten believe that the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is important to national security, and most of them believe that the war could lead to a broader war in the Middle East (WI: 73%, PA: 77%, MI: 73%). If a broader war actually breaks out, these voters would support sending military aid and equipment to Israel (WI: 51%, PA: 50%, MI: 44%) but would not take part in the war itself (WI: 53%, PA: 49%, MI: 48% opposed).
Majorities of voters in battleground states support using military force to fight Mexican drug cartels.
Cato commissioned YouGov to poll 500 voters each in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin from August 15-23, 2024. The margin of error for the poll is ±5.92% in Wisconsin, ±5.93% in Pennsylvania and ±5.95% in Michigan, with a 95% confidence interval.
