President says his base stronger than ever
BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — President Donald Trump broke away from his summer vacation Monday for a barrage of Twitter posts lashing out at the ‘‘Fake News’’ media and insisting that his political base is ‘‘getting stronger’’ despite investigations into possible collusion between Russia and his associates.
Rising early at his golf resort in nearby Bedminster, New Jersey, where he arrived Friday for the start of a 17-day escape from Washington, Trump vented his frustration that he is not getting sufficient credit for his political strength and the accomplishments of his 6-month-old presidency.
‘‘The Trump base is far bigger & stronger than ever before (despite some phony Fake News polling). Look at rallies in Penn, Iowa, Ohio and West Virginia,’’ he said on Twitter in a string of messages. ‘‘The fact is the Fake News Russian collusion story, record Stock Market, border security, military strength, jobs, Supreme Court pick, economic enthusiasm, deregulation & so much more have driven the Trump base even closer together. Will never change!’’
He added: ‘‘Hard to believe that with 24/7 Fake News on CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, NYTIMES & WAPO, the Trump base is getting stronger!’’
Trump traveled to New Jersey while the West Wing undergoes a renovation to upgrade the air conditioning. The furniture has been removed from the Oval Office, and most of the staff relocated to an office building next door.
The president, who has not been seen in public since arriving, cited this to argue that he is not really on vacation and noted that he will travel to New York for work during the second half of his getaway.
His staff later reported that he received his daily intelligence briefing and held an hourlong call with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who updated the president about his trip to Asia and discussed North Korea with him. John Kelly, the new White House chief of staff, who spent the weekend in New Jersey with the president, also joined the call.
Trump’s boasts about his support among his base illustrated his focus on holding his core backers even as polls show that his approval ratings have continued to fall across the board. The latest Quinnipiac University survey this month showed that 33 percent of Americans approved of the job Trump is doing, the lowest of his presidency.
His approval remains stronger among Republicans than the general public. Seventy-six percent of Republicans approved of Trump’s performance in the Quinnipiac survey, down from 81 percent in June. White Americans with no college degrees, often considered central to his political support, now disapprove of his performance more than they approve, 50 percent to 43 percent. Just two months ago, it was the opposite: 46 percent approved and 43 percent did not.
In his morning tweets, Trump went after some of his most consistent targets, including The New York Times.