President Trump’s approval ratings have continued their upward climb, reaching 50% this past week and putting him ahead of every top Democratic candidate, according to a new national survey of 865 likely voters.
The poll, conducted online by Zogby Analytics, contains another wake-up call for Democrats — Trump is gaining ground among minorities and independents. And although 48% of those surveyed still disapprove of his performance, the president’s numbers are better than they’ve ever been before, in part because the economy continues to improve, said pollster Jonathan Zogby.
The majority of minority and independent voters still “somewhat disapprove” of Trump, according to the survey. But among vulnerable voters, such as those who lost a job, those who are afraid of losing a job, those who have gone without food for 24 hours, etc., Trump’s ratings are significantly higher.
And these are the voters that could put Trump over the top in 2020. Many of them turned out for him in 2016 and helped flip historically blue-leaning states, such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Nearly every other poll has Democratic front-runner Joe Biden leading Trump, but over the past few months the president has been slowly closing the gap.
Biden is doing his level best to fritter away his credibility with blue-collar workers, which is probably better than any of the other Democratic candidates. Just yesterday, he suggested that displaced coal miners should learn to code — no, really, he said, “Learn to program.”
“Anybody who can go down 3,000 feet in a mine can sure as hell learn to program as well,” Biden said at a New Hampshire event Monday. He then added: “Anybody who can throw coal into a furnace can learn how to program, for God’s sake!”
In spite of Trump’s obsession with protectionist trade policy, he seems to understand what makes people in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin tick. He isn’t tossing aside their livelihood, unlike Biden, and Hillary Clinton before him.
The economy speaks for itself. In fact, Trump would probably fare better among minority and independent voters if he would just let his economic results do the talking for a change. But compared to the Democratic candidates’ burdensome regulatory agenda, Trump’s campaign, loud and brazen as it might be, looks more appealing, as this Zogby survey confirms.
