Jason Walls: Newstalk ZB Political Editor on new survey finding about 75 percent of New Zealanders are concerned over a second Trump presidency

New Zealanders seem to be eyeing the upcoming US election with apprehension.  

New polling from Talbot Mills shows about 75 percent of New Zealanders are concerned about the prospect of a second Donald Trump presidency.  

Half of respondents say they are either extremely concerned - or very concerned.  

Political editor Jason Walls told Heather du Plessis-Allan the survey unfortunately does not ask the question as to why people are so worried. 

“In the past, people have talked about Donald Trump’s rhetoric, and tangibly, the biggest thing that New Zealanders would have to be worried about is increased trade tariffs to the United States.” 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Jason Wall's political editors in for Barry Soper. Right now,
Hey Jason, afternoon. He that, so, how many of us
are worried about Donald Trump becoming the president?

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Well, as it turns out, quite a few. This is
according to numbers from Talbot Mills, who are the Labor
parties pollsters. However, this was not a poll from the
Labor Party. They didn't commission them. They just kind of
did this on their own volition. So essentially, Talbot Mills
went out to more than one thousand kiwis and asked them,
if Donald Trump wins the US presidential election, how concerned
would you be? So it ranges from not concerned, which

(00:30):
is twenty one point three percent, then to slightly concerned
eight point nine percent, then to moderately concerned, where it's
eleven point eight. Now it gets interesting, very concerned is
fourteen point three and then all the way it extremely
concerned is thirty nine point three percent. Now, Donald Trump
is a polarizing figure, so I wouldn't expect this. This

(00:52):
isn't particularly that surprising to me. I did expect about
this level of either very concerned or extremely concerned, but still,
I mean, anything forty percent is quite a lot. Now.
It went on to actually talk to the people that
are polled as well about if Donald Trump loses the
US presidential election but whips up conflict, whips up conflict

(01:13):
with claims that he was robbed, and how concerned people
would be there A little bit different here, it was
only fourteen point nine percent of people said that they
were extremely concerned, and the majority of people some or
the people polled here thirty one point seven percent said
that they were slightly concerned. So there's some interesting numbers
in here. But I will note that these numbers are
from early last months, so it was before the shooting.

(01:34):
It was before Trump was actually confirmed as the presidential
candidate for the Republican Party, and obviously before Joe Biden
withdrew from the Democratic candidacy and Kamala Harris was the
front runner there. So you know, there's been a bit
of water on the bridge since these numbers came out,
but it's a good base level to kind of get
a vibe of what New Zealanders are thinking about Donald Trump.

(01:56):
And I know what you're going to ask next, what
about the numbers for Kamala Harris. Well, we haven't had
them yet. So I'll see what Talbot Mills thinks about
those soon.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
Wasn't actually what I was going to ask next, was
it was going to be the third question, though the
second question is going to be and what are key
we's concerned about? What is it that that's are extremely
concerned about.

Speaker 2 (02:12):
Well, it's a good point, and unfortunately this poll doesn't
actually go into that, but you can look at some
of the I know, in the past people have talked
about Donald Trump's rhetoric and probably I mean tangibly, the
biggest thing that New Zealanders would have to be worried
about is increased trade tariffs to the United States, because
that is probably the thing that actually will impact us.

Speaker 1 (02:33):
Jason, doesn't this show how deranged we are about him?
I mean here we aren't talking about him increasing trade
tariffs when that is exactly what Joe Biden has just done.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
Oh exactly.

Speaker 1 (02:42):
And that's why, Gods of a feather, But apparently we
freak out about one more than the other.

Speaker 2 (02:46):
And that's why I come back to this idea about
the rhetoric that that Trump is that sort of stuff.
So you know who the key thousands of people that
know that's right?

Speaker 1 (02:58):
Yeah, take a shell pe you guys. Hey, the AGM,
the Greens AGM, which is kicking off tomorrow, are they
actually going to vote on this walker jumping stuff?

Speaker 2 (03:05):
Ah? Interesting? So technically no, there's not going to be
a quote unquote vote about the walker jumping stuff, but
there is going to be a conversation. And you know,
normally minor parties agms aren't really particularly exciting, but because
of the Dahli in Tana saga, this is actually quite
of note. I mean, she's certainly gone from the Greens,
but not forgotten and her shadow is looming large as

(03:28):
they meet down there in christ Church this week. And
I spoke to Chloe Swarbrick about this today and I
asked her exactly that I said, is this something going
to be over shadowing the Greens?

Speaker 1 (03:39):
Jason? Are you are you? Have you stuffed something else?

Speaker 2 (03:42):
Like? I know that was Chloe Swarwick saying that she
was basically coming out. She was saying that it's she's
not worried about the this overshadowing the Greens. It's a
novel and an interesting sit of circumstances and in terms
of I mean, what will obviously be the elephant in
the room of three about the whole agm, the Dali
and Para saga, the Waker jumping legislation. Could you just

(04:04):
walk me through the process of what's happening this weekend.

Speaker 1 (04:07):
Yeah, for sure.

Speaker 2 (04:08):
It's not so much the elephant in the room as
an item on the indust So, I mean, I technically
she's right, it is an item on the agenda, but
I do think it is probably going to be the
elephant in the room here. What's happening behind these quite
closed doors is quite significant. The Greens are very, very democratic,
but I'm told it's not going to be a simple
yes no vote over the waker jumping legislation this weekend.

(04:29):
Members will have to have a discussion session where their
party will talk about what will happen if she doesn't resign,
which is the current situation we're in at the moment.
So it's a big wait and see. We do know
that there is going to be a conversation about it
tomorrow and then Chloe's going to come out and tell
us all about that. But we're in on childed territory
if they do want to walk a jump her, because
you know, good f shaama, it didn't happen with him,

(04:51):
Jamie Lee Ross, Elizabeth Carey, Carey, Mecha Fight, Teddy. None
of these people will walker jump, so if they are,
it is triggered. It's going to be interesting to see
how this plays out.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
I reckon they can get away with it, because I
don't reckon most people care. What do you think? Most
people just want to see the back of Darling because
it's clear she's just milking that teet.

Speaker 2 (05:07):
Oh and I agree, and I think that's something that
they'll be talking about. I mean, the Wacker jumping conversation
was so twenty eighteen. They're looking at what's happening here
and now.

Speaker 1 (05:15):
Yeah, I mean, you and I care. We can see
the hypocrisy in it, but I think they'll get away
with it. Jason, thank you very much. We'll chat to
you again. Wrap the political week at quarter past six.
That's Jason Wall's Political Edity. For more from Hither Duplessy
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