Republican Voters Still Want GOP to Support Donald Trump After Video Surfaces

Donald Trump may have lost the support of big names in Republican leadership in the last 24 hours after a video surfaced of him speaking about women in vulgar sexual terms, but Republican voters are largely unwavering in their support of the New York businessman, according to a new poll.

Overall, 39 percent of registered voters say Trump should end his bid for the White House, while 45 percent think he should march on, according to a new Politico/Morning Consult poll released Sunday.

However, there's a large ideological gulf in those findings: 70 percent of Democrats say Trump should leave the race, while just 12 percent of Republicans agree. Even among Republican women, only 13 percent say Trump should end his bid.

Respondents not only want Trump to remain in the race, but 74 percent said they want the Republican party to continue to give the nominee institutional support.

The continued support of Republican voters is something Trump appeared to recognize on Saturday, telling the Wall Street Journal: "People get it. They get life," adding, "The support I’m getting is unbelievable, because Hillary Clinton is a horribly flawed candidate."

A defiant Trump made his message to those calling for him to leave the race crystal clear, saying that there is "zero chance I'll quit."

Trump's response came just hours after several top Republicans called on the Republican nominee to drop from the race.

"I thought it important I respect the fact that Donald Trump won a majority of the delegates by the rules our party set," said Arizona Republican Senator John McCain in a statement. "But Donald Trump’s behavior this week, concluding with the disclosure of his demeaning comments about women and his boasts about sexual assaults, make it impossible to continue to offer even conditional support for his candidacy."

Former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice went a step further, writing on her Facebook page that Trump should abandon his 2016 bid.

"Enough! Donald Trump should not be President," wrote Rice. "He should withdraw. As a Republican, I hope to support someone who has the dignity and stature to run for the highest office in the greatest democracy on earth."

Even Trump's running mate, Mike Pence, delivered criticism of Trump and his remarks, while refusing to appear on Trump's behalf at an event in Wisconsin, saying he was “offended by the words and actions described by Donald Trump.” He added: “I do not condone his remarks and cannot defend them.”

The Politico/Morning Consult poll was conducted entirely on Saturday. Morning Consult surveyed 1,549 registered voters, with 1,390 likely voters. The margin of error for all results is plus or minus 2 percentage points, and for 3 percentage points for likely voters.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr Commons