Donald Trump Hurting GOP Image? Republican Front-Runner Is 'Insulting And Offensive,' Majority Of Americans Say

A majority of Americans say that GOP front-runner Donald Trump is hurting the image of the Republican Party, and half of Americans believe his rhetoric is "insulting and offensive," according to a newly released MSNBC/Telemundo/Marist poll. The poll also found that about 27 percent of American adults view Trump favorably, compared to 55 percent who view him negatively.

Republicans are divided in their views toward Trump. About 43 percent say Trump is helping the GOP’s image, and 40 percent say he has hurt it. Slightly more than half of Republicans said the U.S. needs a leader like him but also said he needed to “better control how he says things.” Trump is particularly unpopular among Latinos, with about 65 percent of Latino adults saying he has hurt the GOP’s brand.

Trump is known for his outspoken opinions, and has repeatedly come under criticism for controversial remarks. Earlier this year, for example, he said he wouldn’t rule out the idea of issuing Muslims special identification specifying their religious affiliation. About 71 percent of Republicans said Trump “[tells] it like it is.” A quarter of Republicans said Trump’s words were “insulting and offensive.”

The business tycoon has been the national Republican front-runner for months. Although the GOP establishment has sought to distance itself from Trump, about one in every three Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters said they favored him over the other candidates, a CNN/ORC poll found last week.

Whereas former neurosurgeon Ben Carson previously sat in second place, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has recently surged in the polls, and has taken the lead ahead of Trump in Iowa, according to a Monmouth University survey Monday. He now has 16 percent support nationally, compared to Carson, who has 14 percent. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has 12 percent, and the rest of the candidates polled below 5 percent. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who was expected to be the front-runner in the 2016 Republican race, is tied with former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina at just 3 percent.