This week’s White House Report Card finds President Trump riding a high in the polls but facing pushback on his comments about judges and insufficient show of support for overseas troops. Pollster John Zogby noted that Trump has reached his “best numbers yet,” but conservative analyst Jed Babbin criticized the president’s choosing his Florida resort home over visiting troops in the field.
John Zogby
Grade C-
There are lurking shadows around the corner for President Trump: Possible indictments and plea bargains for associates, sweeping Cabinet and staff changes, a stock market correction or implosion.
But these are for future weeks, not the past week. The president decided to mix it up with the chief justice of the Supreme Court and trashed the 9th Circuit Court. He also carried his personal war against everyone and everything into what was supposed to be a benign morale boosting address to U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
The @WhiteHouse is getting ready for the Christmas season! Thank you to the Smith Family & the National Christmas Tree Association for providing this year’s tree. And to our @NatlParkService for their hard work in trimming the tree for the Blue Room. pic.twitter.com/jiyYBwCeXO
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) November 19, 2018
But what does he care? The two polls published this week have his average approval rating at 48 percent, disapproval at 49 percent. Those are his best numbers yet. But he can be a heart stopper.
Jed Babbin
Grade D-
Thanksgiving week turned out to be a week of squabbling — in both petty and important terms — for President Trump. He lost a couple of fights in the courts again, which propelled part of Trump’s attacks on the courts, a Democrat congressman, and even a retired SEAL admiral.
Trump couldn’t catch a break. When he jokingly suggested that he could get Nancy Pelosi the votes she needed to again become House speaker, some conservatives took him seriously. Trump’s attacks on others weren’t jokes.
So funny to see little Adam Schitt (D-CA) talking about the fact that Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker was not approved by the Senate, but not mentioning the fact that Bob Mueller (who is highly conflicted) was not approved by the Senate!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 18, 2018
Trump’s tweet referring to Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., as “Adam Schitt” was petty, immature, and demeaning to the office of the presidency. Schiff, who’s going to be chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, will be investigating Trump six ways from Sunday, but Trump’s resentment of that fact wasn’t justification for the attack.
Trump also attacked retired SOCOM commander Adm. Bill McRaven, under whose command SEAL Team 6 killed Osama bin Laden. Criticizing McRaven, Trump called him a “Hillary person” said bin Laden should have been found sooner. McRaven’s highly public remarks — he is a supporter of Hillary Clinton and Obama CIA Director James Brennan — made McRaven a legitimate target. Trump took more heat on that than he should have. The same goes for his criticism of the courts.
After U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar ruled that Trump couldn’t bar asylum seekers from entering the country, Trump attacked him as an “Obama judge” and railed against the uber-liberal 9th Circuit in general. Trump’s attack spurred U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to say that there are no such things as Obama judges, Trump judges, Bush judges, or Clinton judges, only impartial judges upholding the Constitution.
Justice Roberts can say what he wants, but the 9th Circuit is a complete & total disaster. It is out of control, has a horrible reputation, is overturned more than any Circuit in the Country, 79%, & is used to get an almost guaranteed result. Judges must not Legislate Security…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2018
That was pretty rich, coming from the man who presides over a court that is more clearly divided on ideological lines than any other. Trump, once again, had the better half of the argument but was roundly bashed in the media for it.
Trump also sided with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who denies responsibility for the murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi over the CIA. In his Helsinki summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin this year, Trump also sided with Putin over CIA conclusions that the Russians interfered in the 2016 election. Trump needs to either trust the CIA or replace the people there he can’t trust. Public disagreements between the president and the CIA weaken both.
“Boom: Record high business optimism, need for employees at 45-year high” https://t.co/jBFjEwAcfd
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018
Trump’s Thanksgiving calls to military member around the world were an extremely poor substitute for a presidential visit to the men and women on the front lines. This was the second Thanksgiving that Trump stayed home instead of sharing the holiday with the troops in war zones such as Afghanistan and Iraq. Whether he’s too scared to make those visits or not, he’s creating serious doubts about his claims to support the military. Bush 43 visited Iraq or Afghanistan five times and Obama made four such visits. Whatever Trump’s reason for staying home, there was simply no good reason for Trump to fail to be dishing out turkey and dressing to the guys and gals in Afghanistan this year. Christmas is just around the corner. Trump needs to celebrate it in Kabul, not Mar-a-Lago.
John Zogby is the founder of the Zogby Poll and senior partner at John Zogby Strategies. His latest book is We are Many, We are One: Neo-Tribes and Tribal Analytics in 21st Century America. Follow him on Twitter @TheJohnZogby
Jed Babbin is an Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on Twitter @jedbabbin
