What positions do you believe make it hard for a Republican to get elected President?
How was Trump different in regards to those positions?
I don't think it's about positions as much as the image of Republicans as the regressive, anti progress, anti women, anti-this, anti-that, for-the-rich, against-the-poor, bla bla...party, and Democrats as the wonderful kind caring people who want to save this and save that. I will say a majority of Democrats vote just to keep the "mean people" from winning. No amount of explaining policy positions or issues will change their minds. Trump was different because he not only energized the base with core issues (border, immigration..) that earlier GOP leaders refused to do anything about, he awoke a sleeping giant of the electorate that had given up on politics altogether. I have been to four Trump rallies and I have spoken with some of these people. They don't align with either party because of their view that "all politicians are the same who are in it for themselves". But in Trump they saw someone different, someone who came from outside of politics and wanted to shake things up. Four years of Trump did not disappoint and that's why they are still with him. But there's another extremely important quality that's missing in other poiliticians. Trump connects with people. That imo is Trump's single greatest advantage over other politicians. It's why when Trump does something that many of his voters don't approve of, they simply overlook it. No other politician has that kind of capital. It's why I am saying it doesn't matter how good of a governor DeSantis is. He will bring out the party faithful and the conservative faithful for sure, but people who are apolitical and not invested in either party, just won't show up.