Demography expert says white Christians could help Trump win in 2020 despite decline: ‘It looks like a time machine’

Religious and demographic change expert Robert Jones warned Democrats ahead of the 2020 election that the Republican Party has the equivalent of a “time machine” when it comes to winning over white, Christian voters across the country. 

In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Friday, Jones said Republicans appear to “turn back time” at the ballot box because white, Christian communities show up in larger numbers than minorities.

Democrats, he said, cannot count on America’s “dramatically” changing demographics to defeat President Trump next year.

{mosads}“One of the dynamics in the U.S. is that white, Christian voters turn out to vote at higher rates than other Americans do. One of the ironies of our current situation is that we are in a place where the country is changing quite dramatically, and part that change is a decline in the percentages of white Christians in the country,” Jones said.

According to Jones, 54 percent of Americans identified as white and Christian a decade ago. Today, that number has dropped to 41 percent. 

“When you kind of compare the voting population composition to the current demographic population, it basically looks like a time machine that takes you back about two presidential election cycles,” Jones said.

“It gives Republicans basically this edge in national elections in particular, which they don’t actually have in the country right now,” he added later.

Trump’s continued popularity with conservative Christian caucasians, he said, could make up for the lack of enthusiasm for the president among minorities.

A Fox News poll conducted July 21-23 did find Trump had a 22 percent approval rating among black registered voters.

Trump, however, has told reporters that he is supported by black communities for policies like the criminal justice reform First Step Act.