--- title: Gallup Found People Less Likely to Vote For Donald Trump description: For the first time since Gallup began asking the question in 1984, the Republican convention left Donald Trump with less support. canonical: https://time.com/4433348/republican-convention-not-voting-trump/ author: Brendan Dorsey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-08-01T17:24:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-06T09:45:00.552Z article:section: Politics og:title: Gallup: People Less Likely to Back Trump After Convention og:description: This is the first Republican convention where this has happened. og:url: https://time.com/4433348/republican-convention-not-voting-trump/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltded9b9cdecd4643c/6988a094ab6d775cdb6aabf3/donald-trump-republican-convention-polls.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4616 og:image:height: 2597 og:image:alt: Donald Trump And Mike Pence Hold Town Hall In Scranton, PA og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Gallup: People Less Likely to Back Trump After Convention twitter:description: This is the first Republican convention where this has happened. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltded9b9cdecd4643c/6988a094ab6d775cdb6aabf3/donald-trump-republican-convention-polls.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Forget the 'Convention Bump.' Gallup Found People Less Likely to Vote For Donald Trump. > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=84ca32e1-903a-4484-afa1-5e460a618197&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Donald Trump Accepts The Republican Presidential Nomination [Watch (HLS stream): Donald Trump Accepts The Republican Presidential Nomination](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/XaKW9HPR.m3u8) (3:51)  _Published 2016-07-22. Donald Trump accepted the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday, promising to restore “law and order” to the United States and the world._ by [Brendan Dorsey](https://time.com/author/brendan-dorsey/) ## Brendan Dorsey Aug 1, 2016 5:24 PM UTC by [Brendan Dorsey](https://time.com/author/brendan-dorsey/) ## Brendan Dorsey Aug 1, 2016 5:24 PM UTC National conventions typically leave presidential candidates with a “convention bump,” or a small boost in the polls thanks to four days of positive coverage. But a Gallup poll found the Republican convention actually put Donald Trump farther behind. [Two Gallup surveys](http://www.gallup.com/poll/194084/americans-positive-democratic-gop-convention.aspx) of 1,000 adults after each convention found that just 36 percent said they were more likely to vote for Trump after watching the GOP proceedings, while 51 percent said they were less likely, a 15 percentage point disadvantage. That was the first time since Gallup began asking the question in 1984 that a candidate has left a convention with a net negative. Previous conventions left candidates with a net positive ranging from a couple percentage points to a 45 point advantage. Clinton did not do as well as some past candidates. Forty-five percent said the Democratic convention left them more likely to back her, while 41 percent said it made them less likely, a four percentage point advantage. That’s on the low side, historically. The number of voters who said both conventions made no difference is also low, something Gallup attributes to higher polarization. “Americans’ ratings of recent conventions have tended to be less positive than those of 2000 and before, likely because of the greater party polarization in Americans’ attitudes,” wrote Gallup Poll managing editor Jeffrey M. Jones. The telephone interviews of approximately 1,000 adults aged 18 living in all 50 states and D.C. were conducted July 23-24 and July 29-30\. The margin of error is plus or minus four percentage points. ## Transcript I humbly and gratefully accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States. [ APPLAUSE ] We will be a country of generosity and warmth, but we will also Be a country of law and order. [ APPLAUSE ] The problems we face now. Poverty and violence at home. War and destruction abroad will last only as long as we continue relying on the same politicians who created them in the first place. Nobody knows the system better than me. [ APPLAUSE ] Which is why I, alone, can fix it. [ APPLAUSE ] In this cause, I am proud to have At my side, the next vice president of the United States, Governor Mike Pence of Indiana. An attack on law enforcement is an attack on all Americans. In this race For the White House, I am the Law and Order Candidate. [ APPLAUSE ] We are going to defeat the barbarians of Isis- [ APPLAUSE ] And we're going to defeat them fast. As your president, I will do everything in my power To protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology believe me. [ APPLAUSE ] And I have to say as a Republican It is so nice to hear you cheering for what I just said, thank you. We must immediately suspend immigration from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism. Until such time as proven vetting mechanism Have been put in place, we don't want them in our country. We are going to build a great border wall to stop illegal immigration. To stop the gangs and the violence. We are going to appoint justices of the United States Supreme Court who will uphold our laws and our constitution. An amendment pushed by Lyndon Johnson many years ago threatens religious institutions. With the loss of their tax exempt status. If they openly advocate their political views. Their voice has been taken away. I am going to work very hard to repeal that language, and to protect free speech for all Americans. [ APPLAUSE ] I make this promise. We will make America strong again. [ APPLAUSE ] We will make America proud again. [ APPLAUSE ] We will make America safe again. [ APPLAUSE ] And we will America great again. God bless you, and good night, I love you. [ APPLAUSE ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4433348/republican-convention-not-voting-trump/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4433348/republican-convention-not-voting-trump/"},"headline":"Forget the 'Convention Bump.' 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