Following weeks of wavering, President Trump’s approval has climbed by 2 points to 47 percent while GOP lawmakers continue to face troubling numbers, according to a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll.
The results of the poll were in part bolstered by the success of the president’s meeting with Kim Jong Un. Fifty-nine percent of Americans liked the way Trump is maneuvering with North Korea, and 75 percent approved of the president’s agreement to meet with Kim in the first place.
Among Hispanics, the president’s favorability has climbed by 10 points. Approval from Democrats has increased by 4 points, and with Republicans, the number rose by 6 points. Among GOP voters Trump has the highest approval rating among modern presidents, with the exception of George W. Bush, of any president at this point in his tenure.
Even so, as analysts look to presidential approval polls for indication on how the midterm elections are likely to turn out, the discrepancy is rather wide. There has been little budging in the past month’s numbers for legislators — if the elections were held today, 45 percent of registered voters would pull the lever for Democrats. Meanwhile, the number still stands at a mere 36 percent for Republican lawmakers.
Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll co-Director Mark Penn told the Hill that he was taken aback by the numbers supporting Trump — in light of recent protests against the president for his tough immigration stance and family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump’s numbers, however, have fallen by four points in the last month with independent voters: 53 percent of polled independents now say they disapproved of the president.
The polling was conducted after White House press secretary Sarah Sanders was refused service at Virginia restaurant, The Red Hen. The review ran from June 24-25, surveying 1,448 voters online. At this point, no margin of error has been reported. The rest of the results from the poll are set to be released later into the week.
