Weekly political update – Where news & perceptions meet reality
Bottom Line: This is your weekly reality check. What's really going on with public opinion of the president and our view of the direction of the country? Here it is...
- Trump's lowest rating: 37% approval (8/4/17)
- Trump highest approval rating: 46% approval (9/19/19)
- Trump's current rating: 43% approval
As Democrats continue to pursue impeachment against President Trump, they’ve managed to dent the President’s momentum pretty much across the board. On one hand President Trump is only off 3% from three weeks ago, before all the hysteria began and with Trump at an all-time high average approval rating. Faced with the full court press,by the press and their allies in the media – it's frankly impressive that the situation isn’t worse for him. On the other hand, he’s down across all samples of voters slightly – though there remains a meaningful disconnect between engagement levels.
It’s been the case throughout his term thus far, that the more informed and engaged someone is politically, the more likely they are to approve of President Trump. That remains the case once again this week.
- Adult only samples: 37%
- Registered voters: 43%
- Likely voters: 47%
That’s a dramatic point average between your average man-on-the-street response compared to likely voters. A 47% approval rating with likely voters is pretty strong at this point in the game – especially with impeachment palooza playing out.
What you never hear reported are the ratings of the Democratic leaders opposing him. Here’s the latest...
- Pelosi: 36%
- Schumer: 27%
A 36% approval rating is poor any way you slice it. However, what’s interesting is that she’s up two points this week. You might infer that she’s received a little boost from the hard-left impeachment wing that’s pleased she’s moved forward with the inquiry. Still, observe that her approval rating is significantly lower than the President she’s theoretically attempting to impeach. And Schumer is just looking for a friend.
Looking at the direction of the country this week...
Where we stood on Inauguration Day:
- Right Direction: 30%
Today:
- Right Direction: 34%
Overall, we’re 4% collectively more optimistic than we were during the Obama administration. This is off 3% and its clear impeachment palooza is also playing a role here too.