JNS
“We’re a necessary evil, but it never changes their opinions on issues,” the pollster, who is trusted by both of the leaders, told JNS.
Although one might assume that ambitious politicians want to surround themselves with yes-men who tell them that the emperor is fully clothed when he is clearly not, former U.S. president Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have the right idea about polling, according to Jim McLaughlin, president and a partner at an eponymous New York firm.
“What I found is a similarity between both Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump is that they view pollsters in the right way,” McLaughlin, whose brother John McLaughlin is the firm’s CEO and a partner, told JNS on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
“We’re a necessary evil, but it never changes their opinions on issues,” Jim McLaughlin said. “It’s about policy. It’s about what’s best for America. It’s about what’s best for Israel.”
McLaughlin has worked with both leaders, and by all indications, appears to hold the trust of both.
Neither Netanyahu nor Trump “can be stage managed,” McLaughlin told JNS. “But they do listen.” U.S. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, has a “stage management that is outrageous to some extent,” he said.
McLaughlin’s firm hasn’t polled for Netanyahu since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, even though the threat of elections looms for Netanyahu, whose polling has generally looked underwater.
“Benjamin Netanyahu is not focused on politics. Benjamin Netanyahu, to his credit, he’s focused on the survival of Israel and getting back the hostages,” McLaughlin said.
JNS asked why if Netanyahu is focused on domestic priorities, rather than political posturing, his polling in Israel suggests that most voters think his personal considerations are factoring into his political and military decisions.
McLaughlin told JNS that coordinated attacks against the prime minister have been successful.
“Unfortunately, perception is reality, and there’s a lot of people on the left who Bibi Netanyahu has beaten in the last five elections,” McLaughlin said. Universal support for Israel after Oct. 7 lasted only a couple of weeks, he said.
“What happened was all the enemies of Israel, all the enemies of Benjamin Netanyahu, they all looked at this as an opportunity to attack Netanyahu,” McLaughlin told JNS. “It’s so wrong on so many different levels, because what’s going on in Israel right now, it should be above partisan politics.”
Israel seems on the precipice of yet another election in a seemingly-endless cycle, but stateside, U.S. elections are anything but a redux of 2020, according to McLaughlin.
“One of the misnomers is that a lot of people think that this is a replay of the 2020 election. It’s not,” he said. “It’s a very different Donald Trump, and it’s a very different Joe Biden.”
McLaughlin cited Biden’s condition, the economy and other kitchen-table issues.
“Donald Trump is on offense right now. About 8% to 10% of the electorate, who voted for Joe Biden last time, are now voting for Donald Trump,” McLaughlin said, citing recent polling. “They have a real case of Biden remorse,” on issues like national security and immigration, he said.
McLaughlin sees Trump’s campaign making inroads with minority groups, including Hispanics, blacks and Jews.
“Jewish voters have been a Democratic constituency, where Republicans were usually lucky if they got 25 to 30% of the Jewish vote,” he said. “There’s been surveys in New York State done by reputable polling firms that actually have Donald Trump ahead among Jewish voters, so he is clearly on offense.”
