This week’s White House Report Card finds President Trump scoring with the public on his job fighting the coronavirus. While partisans are divided, polls show the president getting good grades for his daily briefings and effort. His approval rating is the highest for Gallup and ABC/Washington Post.
Still, the virus fight has a long way to go, and Trump continues to feel his way through it. His week started with a strong push to open up the economy and ended with a strong push to save lives and slow the spread of COVID-19.
Not surprisingly, our graders were split. Conservative analyst Jed Babbin gave Trump high marks for his administration’s actions, but pollster John Zogby said the president fell back into partisan politics after a good week last week.
Jed Babbin
Grade A-
Despite the continued spread of the coronavirus, President Trump and his administration had an excellent week. Companies are volunteering to help, the stock market has rebounded, and he signed the $2.2 billion stimulus package.
The media have been hyping panic over the coronavirus, going as far as suggesting that shortages of ventilators will result in “do not resuscitate” orders for the elderly where equipment isn’t available. Our new favorite doctor, Deborah Birx, tore into those reports, saying there is no factual basis for them and that even in virus-laden New York City, there were ICU beds available and plenty of equipment such as ventilators.
Today, President @realDonaldTrump signed into the law the #CARESAct which will help small businesses stay open, help workers keep their jobs, and provide relief for distressed industries as our Country faces the threat of the Coronavirus together. pic.twitter.com/oXtg6RqS4o
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) March 27, 2020
Ford Motor Co., General Electric, and 3M have teamed to manufacture medical equipment such as ventilators. Many big companies are volunteering their capabilities to help during the pandemic.
The stock market regained about half of what was lost in the past few weeks has already recovered and then slumped again on Friday.
On the dark side, there were record unemployment claims last week (about 3.3 million), which set a new record. And the president wants to push America back to work by Easter. That seems terribly premature as the virus hasn’t yet peaked in the U.S. despite the fact that we now have the most recorded cases in the world. (That number probably reflects the availability of testing and the government’s accurate reporting. Contrast that with China, which reportedly is sending defective test kits to nations it is “helping.”)
John Zogby
Grade D+
My day job (and night job as well) is analyzing public opinion. On the surface, Trump is posting the highest approval numbers of his tenure. His 47% average is actually a point higher than the percentage of votes he received in 2016. His approval rating on handling the coronavirus is 51%, as high as 60% at one point this week from Gallup. And while his approval on handling the economy is down to 51%-52% from a high of 56%, it is still a majority.
But there is a nagging question behind all of this. Trump correctly points out that he is a ‘wartime president.’ So, why aren’t his numbers higher? Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt were reelected with landslides during wartime. George H.W. Bush achieved a 91% rating during Operation Desert Storm. His son, abetted by a lie about weapons of mass destruction, also achieved a 91% approval rating.
“He did promise America First”@HillaryClinton mocks @realdonaldtrump, as the US overtakes the rest of the world in confirmed coronavirus cases.https://t.co/LRbVR7edfT
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 27, 2020
I realize that the country is polarized, and the president is the object of scorn from his opposition, but why is he not able to reach out and gain support from even his detractors? Govs. Andrew Cuomo of New York and Gavin Newsom of California are making opponents believe.
In short order, despite a burst of support following his attempt to do something about COVID-19, Trump has clearly shown why he is not up to this job. He continues to be petty, to insult, to cheerlead, to ignore facts, and to confuse. While the American people are once again making sacrifices to stop the spread of this insidious virus, the president is focusing more on putting people back to work. Too confusing. Too unfocused.
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
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
