Despite a wave of critical news coverage and Democratic catcalls, President Trump sits at his “highest” approval in the latest Gallup survey, and above where four of the last six presidents, including Barack Obama and George W. Bush, were at this point of the first term.
After two weeks of bad news on the coronavirus and economic front, Trump maintained his 49% approval rating, and his disapproval crept up just 1 point, to 48% in the Gallup survey of adults, a broad test.
Gallup said that Trump’s approval is “tied for the best of his presidency.”
At 49%, Trump is a hair away from the generally accepted 50%-51% approval political experts consider a lock to win reelection. Both Obama and Bush were at 50% approval on their reelection days.
At this stage of their presidencies, Obama was at 47% approval, and Bush was at 46% approval. Also, at this stage of their presidencies and heading into the reelection, Bill Clinton was at 55% approval, George H.W. Bush at 40%, Ronald Reagan at 52%, and Jimmy Carter at 38%.
Obama, George W. Bush, Clinton, and Reagan won reelection.
Some pollsters explain that there has been a backlash against the media’s coverage of Trump and the coronavirus and the economy. In the latest McLaughlin & Associates survey, for example, 48% said the media has been unfair to 42% who said it has been fair.
John McLaughlin told Secrets, “They play to a small active, deranged, anti-Trump base for clicks on the internet. That’s not journalism. In the process, they disregard facts and destroy their own credibility. The establishment media is no longer an independent, nonpartisan check and balance on both major parties. Instead, they are an extension of the liberal Democratic Party.”
And the latest Economist/YouGov survey showed that just one-third of voters blame Trump for the virus-crushed economy.
