This week’s White House Report Card finds President Trump taking charge of the coronavirus spread and fighting attacks that he hasn’t done enough to solve it or calm down the plummeting stock market.
He started the week in India and with a near record-high 52% approval rating from Rasmussen Reports, but overnight on Thursday, as the virus scare increased and the stock market tanked, his rating fell 5 points.
Democratic pollster and grader John Zogby pulled his punches on the virus and called for greater for bipartisanship on the issue.
Conservative grader Jed Babbin noted that the president had a handful of big victories that were overshadowed by the virus.
John Zogby
Grade C
Trump can be legitimately criticized for too slow a reaction to the spreading coronavirus. But this is not the time to be partisan. Instead, let the campaign go on in full swing, but the public should be able to count on the leaders of both parties to work on this truly global and worsening crisis.
Trump, to his credit, appointed Vice President Mike Pence to take the lead on this pending catastrophe and has issued a number of orders to expand the production of protective gear and more tests. Whether or not this is too late is a matter for history. Today, we all need to rally.
Thank you to all of the incredible Law Enforcement Officers in South Carolina tonight. We love you! pic.twitter.com/yoqjwFzqQA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 29, 2020
The stock market has reached the correction phase, with signs pointing to more losses on opening bell Monday. This is a real test of leadership, and let’s see if the president can rise to the occasion.
Jed Babbin
Grade B
Trump had another mixed week featuring a high-profile trip to India, the media generating panic over the coronavirus, and a couple of big wins in the courts.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi rolled out the red carpet for Trump and his wife. Trump held a rally for 110,000 people and toured the Taj Mahal. The only significant result of the trip was Modi’s agreement to buy about $3 billion in U.S. military helicopters. India has not bought U.S. military goods since the 1990s, when Clinton sanctioned India for its nuclear program.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 27, 2020
Fear of the coronavirus is spreading widely and wildly. The stock market posted its heaviest losses in a dozen years. The Democrat-media conglomerate is spreading fear, bashing Trump for not spending more without, of course, telling us what they’d do differently. In other nations such as Iran, which has no healthcare system worth mentioning, the coronavirus is infecting tens of thousands. The infections may be widespread enough to bring down the ayatollahs’ regime. It’s getting bad in Europe as well, with infections widespread in Italy.
Meanwhile, Trump scored big wins on abortion and illegal immigration in the courts this week. The 9th Circuit (!) upheld a recent Trump change to the federal rules on abortion. That action is a major indication of Trump’s conversion of the 9th Circus (the judicial circuit most frequently reversed by SCOTUS) into what soon will be a moderate, if not conservative, court. The 2nd Circuit gave Trump an even bigger win, ruling that the Justice Department can withhold grant money from “sanctuary cities” that choose to refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
All in all, a pretty good week.
John Zogby is the founder of the Zogby Poll and senior partner at John Zogby Strategies. His weekly podcast with son and partner Jeremy Zogby can be heard here. Follow him on Twitter: @TheJohnZogby.
Jed Babbin is a Washington Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in the administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on Twitter: @jedbabbin.
