Trump adds to divisions in unhappy country, poll finds
WASHINGTON — Americans are deeply unhappy about the state of their country — and a majority think President Donald Trump is exacerbating tensions in a moment of national crisis, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
With less than five months until Election Day, the survey offers few bright spots for a president confronting a historic pandemic, a sharp economic decline and national outrage over police brutality against Black people. Most Americans — including 63% of Republicans — say the country is heading in the wrong direction. And close to two-thirds — including 37% of Republicans — say Trump is making America more divided.
“Instead of bringing us all together, he's pulling us all apart,” said Donna Oates, a 63- year- old retiree from Chino, California.
Oates said she was a Republican until March, when her mounting frustration with Trump and the GOP prompted her to change her voter registration to the Democratic Party. Trump's tenure, she said, has made her “dread getting up to turn on the TV and see any of the news.”
That pessimism poses reelection challenges for Trump in his face- off against Democrat Joe Biden. Presidents seeking four more years in office typically rely on voters being optimistic about the direction the country is headed and eager to stay the course — a view most Americans don't currently hold.
Just 24% say the country is headed in the right direction, down from 33% a month ago and 42% in March. That's when the COVID-19 pandemic began taking hold in the U.S., killing nearly 120,000 Americans to date and upending most aspects of daily life.
Overall, 37% of Americans say they approve of Trump's handling of the coronavirus outbreak — a dip from 44% in March.
The fallout from the pandemic has been sweeping. Beyond the public health risks, the economy suffered from a sudden jolt as states implemented strict stay-at-home orders. Though some of those restrictions have started to ease and businesses in many places are now beginning to open, the unemployment rate still sits at 13.3%.