Despite controversies, criticisms and even a reported attempt by some members of his party to discredit him, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump remains firmly way ahead of his rivals in nationwide polls and still going strong.

The latest CNN/ORC Poll showed the controversial business tycoon once again pulling away from his rivals, garnering the support of more than a third or 36 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.

Trump's figures was 9 percentage points higher compared to his numbers last October, thereby solidifying his lead among Republican presidential hopefuls.

According to a CNN report, Trump garnered both the "broadest support and his widest lead in any national live-interviewer telephone poll since he announced his candidacy in June."

More than half of the Republican respondents also stated that Trump is the candidate they trust the most to handle the economy (55 percent) and the federal budget (51 percent).

Almost half said they trust Trump to handle illegal immigration (48 percent) and the terror group Islamic State (46 percent).

More generally, about 4 in 10 Republicans surveyed said Trump is the most effective candidate to solve the problems of the United States, according to CNN.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz was a distant second to Trump, getting the support of 16 percent of the Republicans and Republican-leading independents.

The biggest loser in the new survey is retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, whose figures dropped by 8 percent points to 14 percent. Carson used to be Trump's closest rival in the Republican presidential race.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio was in fourth place, getting the nod of 12 percent of those surveyed. All other Republican presidential candidates received support of less than 5 percent from GOP voters.

Among Republican voters with college degrees, however, Trump was only the fourth most preferred candidate, with 18-percent support. Cruz was slightly in front in this demographic at 22 percent, followed by Carson and Rubio.