This week’s White House Report Card finds that President Trump had another eventful week with several victories and, of course, more controversy over the Russia probe. He fulfilled two major campaign promises, shifting the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and he went even further than former President Reagan’s pledge to conservatives in curbing taxpayer funding of clinics that provide abortion.
Along the way his team won Senate support for Gina Haspel, the first woman approved to run the CIA, used his new legal team headed by Rudy Giuliani to muck up the Russia probe, broke bread with Democrats on prison reform, and gave space to his wife, Melania, who is recovering from a liver operation.
Grader and Democratic pollster John Zogby highlighted the bad news but found good too, giving the president a “B” for the week. He summed up the hot and cold week this way:
Bad news abounds for President Trump. His personal lawyer turns out to be a snake oil salesman and a snake. Looks like the president lied about not reimbursing Mr. Cohen for paying hush money to porn actress Stormy Daniels.
Fake News Media had me calling Immigrants, or Illegal Immigrants, “Animals.” Wrong! They were begrudgingly forced to withdraw their stories. I referred to MS 13 Gang Members as “Animals,” a big difference – and so true. Fake News got it purposely wrong, as usual!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 18, 2018
Trump angered allies and enemies alike by formally opening an embassy in Jerusalem and almost saw his upcoming summit with Korea’s dictator derailed.
On the other hand, it looks like China is responding to tough U.S. trade policy and is opening its markets to U.S. goods. Good news or bad, Mr. Trump’s approval rating hit an average of 47 percent in polling this week — one point higher than the percentage of the vote he received in 2016. And the Democratic lead in the congressional is down to 1 and 3 points in the two polls released this week.
Wow, word seems to be coming out that the Obama FBI “SPIED ON THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN WITH AN EMBEDDED INFORMANT.” Andrew McCarthy says, “There’s probably no doubt that they had at least one confidential informant in the campaign.” If so, this is bigger than Watergate!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 17, 2018
Grade B
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
Conservative grader Jed Babbin was traveling this week. He is an Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on Twitter @jedbabbin
