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: 45% approval
Boom goes the dynamite. There are likely to be many frustrated politicos in Washington these days. Here we are in the thick of an impeachment effort that many dreamed of on the left starting with the day he took office. If ever there were a time when you’d think, from their perspective, we’d not approve of President Trump – this would seemingly be it. Yet, President Trump’s ratings are up another point this week and only one point off his average high.
It’s not entirely clear whether it’s the good economy, record jobs and stock market performance, etc. or simply people who’ve realized that the latest effort to impeach President Trump isn’t more valid than the first...regardless - President Trump has almost completely recovered any lost support from prior to the start of the impeachment inquiry process. Here’s another piece of perspective. Right now, in the middle of impeachment palooza, President Trump’s average approval rating is identical President Obama’s on the same date.
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. President Trump’s overall rise included a snap back with likely voters.
- Adult only samples: N/A
- Registered voters: 43%
- Likely voters: 50%
What you never hear reported are the ratings of the Democratic leaders opposing him. Here’s the latest...
- Pelosi: 37%
- Schumer: 28%
Just as President Trump has rebounded from lower approval ratings a couple of weeks ago, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have started to see their, already lower ratings, slide from recent levels. Nancy peaked at 40% two weeks ago and now is off three points in two weeks as her rating is now eight points lower than President Trump’s. As for Schumer – already extremely unpopular, his low rating is just a little worse this week.
Based on two weeks of improvement for Trump along with two weeks of lower ratings for Pelosi and Schumer, you might infer that as persuadable people have learned more about the impeachment effort, they’re not on board.
Looking at the direction of the country this week...
Where we stood on Inauguration Day:
- Right Direction: 30%
Today:
- Right Direction: 37%
Overall, even in the mist of impeachment palooza 2019, we’re 7% collectively more optimistic than we were during the Obama administration.