President Trump’s muddled approval ratings have bottomed out, bolstered by his Supreme Court nomination victory, tough stances with Russia and Syria, and resolute support from his base, even those in liberal blue states, according to new polling.
Nationally, the latest SurveyMonkey poll showed Trump’s approval ticking up three points to 45 percent, though his ratings are still upside down. The polling firm suggested that the uptick is a positive shift over the past three weeks.
Winthrop Poll: Trump’s Approval Rating Steady in SC https://t.co/ovNSv29SbB #scpol #sctweets pic.twitter.com/imtQRvb3yZ
— News 19 WLTX (@WLTX) April 13, 2017
Other state polls find that Trump’s supporters remain firmly behind him, calling into question reports that his base is giving up on him.
In South Carolina, for example, the latest Winthrop Poll said that “Trump’s approval rating of 43 percent has remained steady in South Carolina for the past two months.” It added, “His approval numbers in South Carolina continue to be a few points higher than his national average.”
And even in Democratic Massachusetts, Trump’s base has stuck with him. The latest WBUR survey said that those who backed the president in the state won handily by Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton remain “strong” for the president.
Said WBUR, “Red towns in Massachusetts continue to support Trump: 80-90 percent of voters agree that Trump will keep America safe, is a good negotiator, cares about people like you, will put the country’s interest ahead of his own, is honest and forthright, shares your values and is an ethical person.”
And, in noting that the economy continues to grow under Trump, extending the Obama trend, WBUR added, “Trump voters see him keeping us safe, bringing jobs. Eighty percent or more agree with the idea that Trump will make things better in the next few years on the economy, for jobs and for military readiness.”
Pollster John Zogby wrote last week in the Secrets Weekly White House Report Card that Trump’s polls “may have bottomed out,” though they remain below 50 percent.
He later provide this analysis:
“The president gets no bragging rights for his approval ratings. His average at this moment is still about 41 percent-42 percent, which is especially low for what is supposed to be a honeymoon period. Nonetheless, just about 10 days ago his average was 39 percent and most major polls had him in the 35 percent-39 percent category. What happened? April’s unemployment rate went down to 4.5 percent, the president appears to be getting his team and his act together, he has won a victory by getting Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court without controversy, and he has neutralized some of the antipathy toward him about his relationship with Vladimir Putin’s Russia. He has appeared resolute on Syrian President Assad, offered as stern warning to both Russia on Syria and to China on North Korea.”
And in our latest Trump Report Card, published Saturday, Zogby noted that Trump is at 41 percent approval. But he warned against the left’s impeachment talk, writing, “A word of caution to his enemies: Mr. Trump is not close to being removed from office. Whether or not I agree or disagree with much of what he has done, he was resolute this week. He still has the juice.”
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
