Trump voters don't like him, they like what he stands for

THIS week Donald Trump is expected to sweep the board in 17 more Republican primaries, adding to his nine victories so far including New Hampshire, Michigan, and his remaining opponent's home state of South Carolina.

- Lord Ashcroft

Some see Trump's stroll through the primaries, without even attending a debate, as proof his support has become a cult of personality.

In eight years of studying the Trump phenomenon through my large-scale polling and focus groups, I have found that a huge slice of the American electorate is so in thrall to the persona of Donald J Trump that it has come to dominate not only the way they vote, but their whole political outlook.

I'm not talking about those choosing him as their party's presidential nominee. I'm talking about his more fanatical opponents.

Though he has devoted enthusiasts, Trump's critics are much more mesmerised by his daily sayings and doings than his backers. For most of his voters, Trump is simply the means to an end.

One way to understand Trump's appeal is to look at why they are rejecting Nikki Haley, who combines executive experience with diplomatic know-how honed as Trump's UN ambassador.

A less polarising figure, she also offers the chance to move on from the Trump circus with a new generation of leaders, which many long to do. What's not to like? The answer, according to Republicans we spoke to, is that they associate her with the old GOP establishment, corporate America, the donor class, and an internationalist rather than having an "America First" outlook.

"She's a globalist neocon warmonger," as one primary voter put it to us in North Carolina. "Everything the Republican party used to be - she's that."