The Science Behind Trump-Mania

In the new Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register Iowa Poll, GOP caucus-goers reveal what draws them to Donald Trump.

Donald Trump, president and chief executive of Trump Organization Inc. and 2016 Republican presidential candidate, greets attendees during a rally at Grand River Center in Dubuque, Iowa, U.S., on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015.
Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

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By John McCormick

September 1, 2015 at 10:00 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Donald Trump's startling transformation from reality TV star to serious presidential contender in the eyes of some key Republican voters happened because he's been able to sell himself as the straight-talker most candidates aspire to be, a Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register Iowa Poll shows.

A look underneath the poll's headline numbers, which put Trump atop the GOP field in the state that holds the nation's first nominating caucuses on Feb. 1, suggests the New York real estate mogul is making the sale in large part because of qualities that aren't part of the average political résumé. Everything that conventional wisdom says would torpedo his candidacy is instead making it stronger.