While sometimes it is hard to tell which polls are accurate, there is a new trend showing that Trump is closing the gap or has taken a lead in some states like Florida. It is difficult to know what truth value to assign to each poll, as some poll the same group of people each time and the sample may be misrepresented.
Trump appears to keep pushing stories he has seen to work, like narratives and new investigations about e-mails and wiki leaks. While from a communications standpoint this may seem redundant and tiresomely repetitive, from a polling standpoint it seems to work. By reminding voters over and over again of these untrustworthy narratives about Hillary Clinton, he is rhetorically fighting his representation of unstable by keeping his communication patterns consistent. He is also drilling home through communication that he believes Hillary has put herself in too much legal trouble to be able to be seen as fit for president.
It seems that much of the conversation surrounding this election is “I can’t vote for Candidate X because of …” or “I can’t vote for the other because of …” Trump’s rhetoric in his speeches adds to this outline of reasoning. His communication style is not quite “vote for me because I will accomplish x, y, and z,” but instead he is saying not to vote for Clinton because he believes she has put herself above the law and deceived many people.
At a time when many Americans are concerned for protection and trust, this communication may sway people over the next week and a half to lean one way or another when it comes to voting. We have already seen in a difference in polling despite the pushes we have seen working against Trump in media. I believe that the October surprises are through and we will see Trump attempt to reinforce the “untrustworthy” rhetoric of Clinton until the day of the election (and potentially after).
I really liked how you talked about Trump not saying what he will do, but rather why voters shouldn’t vote for Hillary. I think that’s a very effective tactic that he is using. Also, you talked about him continuing the untrustworthy narrative for Hillary, which was really good because since no new scandal is out about him right now, I can definitely see him doing this effectively. Since Election Day is next week, I feel like the polls are getting to be more intense and your analysis of why they’re like that was interesting to read!