If there’s one thing American voters overwhelmingly agree on, it’s that this year’s presidential election presents a difficult choice.
In the last survey of CNN conducted by SSRS, 91% of registered voters say they see important differences between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, surpassing even the 77% who said last fall that there were significant divisions between the Democratic and Republican parties. Even among so-called “double haters” – those with unfavorable views of both Biden and Trump – only 20% say the two candidates are practically equal.
To get a broader picture of how voters view the election stakes, the CNN asked voters what the most important difference they saw between the two candidates was.
As the results highlight, the contrasts that stick most in voters’ minds are often not about policy issues per se. While some voters mentioned the issues that often top the lists this year when asked about the most important issues – such as the economy, immigration or commitment to democracy – others were more focused on character and personal traits, with honesty, ability to deal with the position and perceived motivations among the traits most mentioned as distinguishing factors.
Among those who saw significant differences between Biden and Trump, the most frequently mentioned distinctions were honesty and integrity (17%), job ability or mental fitness (15%), love of country or patriotism (10%), motivations perceived as selfish or egocentric (10%) and effectiveness or job performance (8%).
Another 8% mentioned protecting democracy or the Constitution, while 7% cited immigration and 6% the economy. Voter responses often spanned multiple topics, and a significant portion offered more vague responses, with some simply noting that each candidate’s beliefs or policies were different.
Supporters of each candidate offered significantly different characterizations of the election race.
Voters who backed Biden in a head-to-head race against Trump often highlighted the character distinction. Among those who saw significant differences between the candidates, 31% cited honesty or integrity, with about 18% citing selfish or self-centered motivations often associated with Trump, and 15% noting the criminal convictions or other charges the former president faced.
“Trump is a lying scoundrel who only cares about himself; Biden, I believe, truly cares about the American people,” wrote one Biden supporter who responded to the survey, a South Carolina voter in her 70s.
Another Biden supporter, a Florida voter in her 20s, wrote: “One is a convicted felon. If I would never date a criminal, why would I vote for one for president?[?]”
This year, polls, including this one, have consistently found concerns about democracy as a top election issue among Biden supporters. Many also see support for democracy as the deciding factor between him and Trump: 16% of Biden supporters who see differences between the two candidates cited democracy and the Constitution as the most significant difference. Others raised concerns about fascism or said they see Trump as a threat to the country.
“Biden supports and defends our Constitution, democracy, and rule of law, while Trump actively works to undermine and destroy our Constitution, democracy, and rule of law,” wrote a Californian in his 70s. “Trump wants to remove all checks on his power so that he has absolute power to do whatever he wants, with whomever he wants.”
On the other hand, Trump supporters more often characterized the difference between the two candidates in terms of mental fitness or ability to handle the job, themes mentioned by about 24% of those who saw important differences between Trump and Biden.
“Joe Biden is the first president in my lifetime who is not mentally fit to be our president,” wrote a Texan in his 70s who said he was committed to supporting Trump this fall. “In my opinion, he has no idea what is going on in this country and is not capable of making a sensible decision in the best interests of the United States.”
Another 15% cited love of country, patriotism or “America first” sentiments, with 11% citing effectiveness or job performance.
“Trump saw that people in the US needed help and he went out of his way to help,” wrote a Trump supporter from Connecticut in her 30s. “I didn’t like Trump at first, but after we had Joe, we just suffered.”
Approximately 11% of Trump supporters who saw differences between the two candidates mentioned the economy or immigration, respectively. Both topics have consistently topped Trump supporters’ election issue lists when asked what they consider most important in the election.
“Under Trump, my gas and food were cheaper,” wrote a New York woman in her 20s. “Under Biden, I can no longer afford to live.”
Some voters described the contrast between Biden and Trump in ways that were unflattering to either candidate.
“They are both horrible, but in very different ways,” wrote a New Mexico man in his 30s who said he planned to support independent candidate Cornel West. “Biden needs to be forced to retire and Trump needs to be put in prison.”
Some voters were equally critical, even if they chose to support one of the major party candidates.
“Biden is a senile old fool. Trump is a boor, but he has a clear mind,” responded a Virginia man in his 70s, who said he supported Trump primarily as a way to oppose Biden.
And a Californian in his 20s, who said he supports Biden primarily as an anti-Trump vote, wrote: “One is a coherent liar, the other is an incoherent ‘truth seeker’.”
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