New high in approval

Neither political party sways independents

In a poll taken after his “go back” tweets, Trump sees his favorability rating rise.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s job approval rating does not appear to have been hurt by the tweets he sent last week telling four Democratic congresswomen of color that they should “go back” and fix their countries of origin before trying to change the United States.

In fact, his approval rating among registered voters nationally reached a high of 44% in an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll out Monday. Overall, he is underwater with voters: 52% disapprove of the job he is doing. The poll was conducted July 15-17, after the tweet he sent July 14, which was condemned as racist in a House resolution. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

Trump’s previous job approval rating high in a Marist poll was 43%, a mark he reached in February. His low of 35% in the poll came in August 2017.

Last week, a USA TODAY/Ipsos poll found that 68% of Americans considered Trump’s tweets aimed at the four congresswomen to be offensive, and 59% said they were “un-American.”

Trump’s support in the Marist poll was sharply divided along party lines: 90% of Democrats say they disapprove of the job he has done and 90% of Republicans say they approve. With independent voters, the president’s approval rating is 42%, and his disapproval is at 53%.

“Independents are on the fence overall,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion at Marist College. “They’re not willing to grant President Trump reelection, and yet they’re not persuaded by Democrats at this point.”

When it comes to the ideas offered by the Democrats running for president, 43% of registered voters say they think Democrats would move the country in the right direction, and 48% say they would not. Among independents, the number of people saying Democratic candidates would move the country in the right direction fell to 40%.

Trump’s approval and disapproval ratings among white supporters are both at 48%. Thirty-five percent of nonwhite respondents say they approve of the job he is doing, and 59% disapprove.

Asked whether they plan to vote for Trump in 2020, 39% of registered voters say they would definitely vote for him, 53% say they would definitely vote against him, and 8% say they aren’t sure. Trump’s strongest demographic support is among white men without a college degree. Fifty-seven percent of registered voters within that group say they would definitely vote to reelect the president.

The majority of registered voters say they approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, 52%-44%.