President Trump's approval & our view of the direction of the country
Bottom Line: This is a weekly story to get a reality/temperature check regarding what's really going on with public opinion of the President and our view of the direction of the country. First here's the high point, low point and current ratings for President Trump...
- Trump's lowest ratings: 37% approval and 59% disapproval: -22% (8/4/17)
- Trump highest approval ratings 45% approval and 43% disapproval (1/27/17): +2%
- Trump's current ratings: 44% approval and 52% disapproval: -8%
Surprise (again)! After rising by four points last week President Trump’s net approval rating rose by another two points this week (as his disapproval rating continues to come down). With the best economy in a generation there are plenty of reasons for the President’s approval rating to be on the rise but there’s nothing especially different about the economy today compared to a week or two ago today however we are that much closer to the midterms – now under six weeks away – and most Americans are becoming more engaged politically as we’re closing in on Election Day. We’re also potentially seeing a bit of backlash against the Kavanaugh tactics of Democrats showing up in polling generally.
- With adult only samples his rating over the past week averaged: 40%
- Registered voters: 44%
- Likely voters: 46%
For comparison's sake President Obama's average approval rating on this date in his second year in office was one point higher than President Trump's rating but with likely voters it was two points lower than President Trump’s.
Looking at the direction of the country this week...
Where we stood on Inauguration Day:
- Right Direction: 30%
- Wrong Track: 59%
- Net: -29%
Today:
- Right Direction: 40%
- Wrong Track: 53%
- Net: -13%
Change: +16% under Trump & -4% over a week ago
After hitting the highest level of optimism since December of 2012 last week, we’ve taken a step back to a slightly less optimistic place this week. It’s likely the process/handling/debate regarding the allegations against Brett Kavanaugh factored into our view of our country’s direction.
The next week should be extremely telling.
Until next week...