A clear majority supported this week’s summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, an event that also seems to have helped make Trump more popular, according to a new poll by Monmouth University.
Seventy-one percent of voters approved of the historic meeting in Singapore earlier this week, which produced a joint statement promising “complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula” and lasting peace in the region.
The same poll showed Trump’s disapproval rating dipped below 50 percent for the first time in nine months in the wake of his meeting with North Korea’s authoritarian leader. Forty-three percent currently approve of his job performance, while 46 percent remain dissatisfied. Trump’s approval rating rose from 41 percent to 43 percent after the summit.
Trump has said the summit enabled the U.S. to take “a big step back from potential nuclear catastrophe.” But only 46 percent of the public believes Trump emerged from the day-long diplomatic affair looking stronger on the world stage than his North Korean counterpart.
Most Democrats dismissed the impact of the summit on Trump’s international stature, and 50 percent claimed the event made Kim look stronger.
Voters are equally split when it comes to their confidence in Trump’s ability to disarm North Korea. Thirty-seven percent believe he is capable of dealing with the hermit nation’s reclusive dictator, while 36 percent worry about his ability to handle the situation. That divide remains roughly unchanged since Monmouth first asked the question last August.
People are similarly split about the Trump administration’s decision to suspend joint military exercises with South Korea, as 46 percent approve of the decision and 42 percent condemn it.
The survey of 806 U.S. adults was conducted in the 48 hours following Trump’s summit with Kim. Results contain a margin of error plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Trump returned from Singapore on Wednesday, hours after touting his signed statement with Kim as evidence of North Korea’s cooperation during a lengthy press conference at the site of their summit. In addition to suspending joint military exercises, the president “committed to provide security guarantees” to North Korea and to establishing formal diplomatic relations between both countries, according to the statement.
