WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris has a perceived advantage over former President Donald Trump on several leadership qualities such as honesty, a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds, although Americans are slightly more likely to trust Trump on the economy and immigration.
Nearly half of Americans say that “committed to democracy” and “disciplined” are attributes that better describe Harris. About 3 in 10 say these qualities better describe Trump.
About 4 in 10 say Harris is someone who “cares about people like you” while about 3 in 10 say that about Trump. About 4 in 10 say “honest” better describes Harris and 24% say that quality better describes Trump.
Both parties are racing to define Harris as she prepares to accept the Democratic nomination at the party’s convention next week. The poll suggests she carries some of the same baggage that weighed down President Joe Biden before he ended his reelection bid but has advantages over Trump when they're compared to each other. And Democrats continue to be much happier about her candidacy than they were about Biden's.
Trump has spent the campaign championing himself as a strong leader who is capable of handling tough crises facing the country and suggesting that foreign leaders wouldn't respect Harris in the White House. But he doesn't have an advantage with Americans on that characteristic, according to the survey. Four in 10 U.S. adults see Trump as a strong leader, and roughly the same share say that about Harris. About 4 in 10 say Trump is capable of handling a crisis, and a similar share say Harris is better positioned to do so.
Americans are about evenly divided between who they think is more capable of winning in November — Trump or Harris. In July, before Biden dropped out of the race, only about 2 in 10 Americans thought he was more capable of winning, while about twice as many thought that about Trump.
“Trump had a better chance when Joe Biden was running,” said Lisa Miller, a 42-year-old student in Elko, Nevada, and a Republican. “I think a lot of people who were insecure about Joe Biden are more secure with Kamala Harris’ age and cognitive abilities.”
Americans are more likely to trust Trump over Harris when it comes to handling the economy or immigration, but the difference is slight — 45% say Trump is better positioned to handle the economy, while 38% say that about Harris. The difference is similar in handling immigration. Independents are about twice as likely to trust Trump over Harris on economic issues, and they give him the advantage on immigration as well.
Howard Barnes, a 36-year-old artist in San Francisco, is a Republican who says he trusts Trump over Harris on the border.
“She doesn’t really seem to be proactive about it or even interested in it,” Barnes said.
Harris has more of an advantage over Trump when it comes to handling issues related to race and racial inequality, abortion policy, and health care. Roughly half of U.S. adults say Harris would do a better job than Trump handling each of those issues, compared with about 3 in 10 for Trump. Harris is especially strong among Democrats, independents and women on the issue of abortion policy.
Democrats and independents give her the edge on health care, as well as on issues of race and racial inequality. About two-thirds of Black adults say Harris is the candidate they trust more on that issue, as well as about half of Hispanic adults and white adults.
Harris’ strengths also accentuate two areas where Republicans give Trump relatively low marks: abortion policy and issues related to race and racial inequality. Only about 6 in 10 Republicans trust Trump over Harris on these issues.
There are possible signs of trouble for Harris in the poll, though. Only about 6 in 10 Democrats trust her over Trump to do a better job handling the war in Gaza, her lowest rating within her party on the issues asked about. About one-quarter of Democrats say they trust neither Trump nor Harris on this topic.
About two-thirds of Democrats say “excited” describes either extremely well or very well how they would feel if Harris were to be elected.
The enthusiasm represents a sharp reversal from when Biden was the Democrats’ candidate: an AP-NORC poll from March found that only 4 in 10 Democrats said “excited” would describe their feelings extremely or very well if he won another term. About 7 in 10 Democrats say “satisfied” would describe their emotions at least very well if Harris won. That’s also a shift from March, when half of Democrats said this about Biden.
“There’s definitely joy and there’s definitely hope, and I feel like that’s something that’s been missing,” said Meaghan Dunfee, a 33-year-old public-sector worker in Hamilton, New Jersey. “I don’t think we’ve had that in a long time on the Democratic side.”
About 2 in 10 independents say they would be either excited or satisfied by Harris being elected, an increase from their response to the Biden question in March. Roughly half of independents say excitement would describe their emotions at least “somewhat” well, up from about one-quarter in March. Similar shares of independents say they would be excited or satisfied about Trump being elected.
Cooper reported from Phoenix.
The poll of 1,164 adults was conducted August 8-12, 2024, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
This combination of photos shows Vice President Kamala Harris, left, on Aug. 7, 2024 and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump on July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
DILI, East Timor (AP) — Pope Francis was flying to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, heading to one of the world’s richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor.
Francis wrapped up his visit to East Timor with a rally Wednesday morning of its young people, who make up the majority of the 1.3 million population. He urged them to work together to build their young country, using the foundations of older generations who secured their independence from Indonesia, to grow in peace, prosperity and reconciliation.
“Go forward with the happiness of youth, but don’t forget one thing,” Francis told them. “You are the heirs of those who persevered in founding this nation. For this, don’t lose your memory, the memory of those who persevered with so much sacrifice to consolidate this nation.”
The 87-year-old pope, who is on the longest and farthest trip of his pontificate, ditched his prepared remarks to speak off the cuff in his native Spanish, as he often does when he's around young people.
The joyous encounter came just hours after some 600,000 people — or nearly half the population — packed a seaside park for Francis’ Mass. It was held on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed 35 years ago, when East Timor was under brutally oppressive Indonesian rule.
Francis came to East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, to encourage it 20 years after it secured independence as it struggles with poverty and high unemployment.
In final, off-the-cuff remarks at the end of the liturgy, Francis warned the Timorese today to beware of the “crocodiles” who come ashore and “want to change your culture, your history.”
It was an apparent reference both to East Timor’s past, as a colonial possession of first Portugal and then Indonesia, but also its current attractiveness to international commercial interests eager to develop its natural gas reserves.
The oil and gas industry is the bedrock of the Timorese economy and the main source of government revenue. Development of the promising offshore Greater Sunrise gas field, shared between Australia and East Timor, has been stalled for more than two decades — mainly over the question of which country the fuel should be piped to.
Timorese officials believe that piping gas into their country would deliver more benefits for their people despite the added logistical challenges. In an interview last week, President Jose Ramos-Horta said any alternative would have to be “a very persuasive proposal.”
Francis, history’s first Latin American pope, has long railed against multinational companies that exploit poor countries for their natural resources for their own benefit without taking care to adequately compensate the local population or care for the environment.
“And don’t go near those crocodiles because they bite, and bite a lot, a lot,” Francis said Tuesday night, using a term in Spanish that means both “to bite” and to accept bribes.
The huge turnout in East Timor was a testament to the devout Catholic faith of its people and their reverence of the church, which strongly backed the Timorese’ fight for independence. Francis praised the Timorese for having not only built up their country from scratch, but reconciled with Indonesia after securing independence in 2002.
One of the Timorese who campaigned for that independence, Fransisco Dionisio Fernandes, was a 15-year-old acolyte at the Dili Mass celebrated by St. John Paul II on the same field as Francis.
He went on to become one of the most vocal pro-independence activists in East Timor, known locally by his nom de guerre Maukura. But he chose the path of non-violent resistance rather than joining the guerrillas, preaching a message of reconciliation with Indonesia that Francis underscored during his visit.
“What’s past is past, every nation certainly has its dark history, and we cannot erase history,” Fernandes said in an interview. “East Timor has made a great effort to reconcile the wounds of the past and found a way to pursue a process of genuine reconciliation.”
Fernandes, who became a career diplomat, said the focus was now on the future.
“Now is the time for Timorese to fight for the development and people’s welfare. With the principle of mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty, we rebuild together with Indonesia which is destined to be brothers.”
East Timor remains one of the poorest in the world, with some 42% living below the poverty line. It struggles with high levels of unemployment and malnutrition. Nearly two-thirds of the country’s citizens are under 30 years old, making youth job creation a high priority.
From Dili, Francis was flying to Singapore, one of Asia’s economic powerhouses. The city-state’s transformation from a colonial port lacking natural resources into an economic power since its independence from Malaysia in 1965 has long been touted as a success story.
It enjoys one of the highest living standards in the world, and is known for its safety and low crime rate. But it is also one of the most expensive cities to live in and its competitive work environment makes for a stressful, overworked people.
Francis has no official program in Singapore on Wednesday other than a private meeting with his Jesuit confreres.
AP writer Eileen Ng contributed from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Pope Francis greets before the meeting with young people in Centro de Convencoes in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Pope Francis is welcomed during the meeting with young people in Centro de Convencoes in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Pope Francis waves out of the car on the day of the Holy Mass at the Esplanade of Taci Tolu during his apostolic trip to Asia, in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Willy Kurniawan/Pool Photo via AP)
Pope Francis waves from the popemobile as he tours the crowd of faithful at the end of a mass at the seaside park of Tasitolu, 8 kilometers west of Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Alessandro Di Meo/pool via AP)
Faithful in traditional dress singing and chanting on the side of the road outside the airport as they prepare to bid farewell to Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Faithful in traditional dress singing and chanting on the side of the road outside the airport as they prepare to bid farewell to Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Faithful in traditional dress singing and chanting on the side of the road outside the airport as they prepare to bid farewell to Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Men and women in traditional dress singing and chanting on the side of the road outside the airport as they prepare to bid farewell to Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Faithful in traditional dress singing and chanting on the side of the road outside the airport as they prepare to bid farewell to Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
People wait for Pope Francis outside the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, ahead of a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
People wait for Pope Francis outside the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, ahead of a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Students singi and chant on the side of the road outside the airport as they prepare to bid farewell to Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Pope Francis looks at traditional dancers as he arrives at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, for a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis looks at traditional dancers as he arrives at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, for a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis looks at traditional dancers as he arrives at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, for a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis looks at traditional dancers as he arrives at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, for a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis is welcomed as he arrives at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, for a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis wears an East Timor traditional Tais scarf he received upon his arrival at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor for a meeting with young people, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. Tais are usually made for ceremonial use, along with feathers, coral, gold and silver. It has the symbolic meaning of respect towards guests, friends, relatives and ancestors. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis looks at traditional dancers as he arrives at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, for a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis is welcomed as he arrives at the Centro de Convenções in Díli, East Timor, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, for a meeting with young people. The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population, on Tuesday on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
