Teflon president’s approval ratings reach high point ahead of elections
DONALD TRUMP’S approval ratings have climbed to levels not seen since before his botched attempt to repeal Obamacare, according to the ‘Daily Telegraph’s’ poll tracker.
The tracker, which takes an average of the last eight polls, put Mr Trump’s approval rating on 43pc in mid-August.
The president’s ratings will be all the more important in the next few months as the US faces first mid-term elections under Mr Trump on November 6.
He is reported to be planning 40 days of campaigning for the legislative elections, as the Republicans battle to keep hold of both the Senate and the House of Representatives – the latter of which is expected to be a closer challenge.
The latest figures – which show that his approval ratings remain stubbornly above 40pc – will prove a relief to the Republican president, who has faced a tough time after his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, had been found guilty of eight charges in his fraud trial.
It came on the same day Michael Cohen, Mr Trump’s former personal lawyer, surrendered himself to the FBI and reached a plea deal with prosecutors.
The period since Mr Trump’s election has been packed with controversy and intrigue but, underneath it all, few people seem to have really changed their minds about America’s 45th president.
His approval rating quickly slumped in the chaotic days after assuming office, with Mr Trump achieving a majority disapproval rating in record time.
A year in, he is far less popular than previous presidents at this stage of a presidency – but overall approval has generally remained above 40pc.
At the 100-day milestone, Gallup daily polling showed that only 40pc of Americans approved of the way Mr Trump was handling his new job – compared to 55pc that disapproved. Historically, it has usually taken American presidents hundreds of days before they reach a majority disapproval rating.
This has been the case for the last five presidents – with Bill Clinton lasting a record 573 days before more than 50pc of Americans disapproved of his presidency.
But Mr Trump smashed this record after surging into the White House on a wave of anti-establishment anger.
It took only eight days for him to gain a majority disapproval rating, according to Gallup, with 51pc of Americans saying they disapproved of the president on January 28, 2016.
Mr Trump has faced persistent allegations over Russian connections, fired the head of the FBI, launched tirades against the media, failed to push through healthcare reform, and has faced talk of impeachment.
However, while there has been an overall drop in public opinion, the president’s approval ratings have remained relatively stable since July, even an uptick following his handling of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville and Hurricane Irma.
Indeed, his popularity has actually risen over the past year among certain segments of the population.
Among those who self-identify as being conservatives – although not necessarily Republicans – his approval rating is actually marginally higher than it was at the start of the year, according to YouGov, while, importantly, he is liked better by people who are registered to vote.
His approval rating among registered voters hasn’t dropped below 40pc all year.
America’s politics is so extreme that his popularity among Democrats can’t really drop any further, while Republicans seemingly refuse to desert him no matter what he does. (© Daily Telegraph, London)