Donald Trump Approval Ratings Today: Still Historically Low And Diving
Donald Trump’s approval ratings today remain historically low for a first-term president and are continuing to dive in light of the unpopular American Health Care Act (“Trumpcare”) and continuing revelations about possible ties to Russia.
As AOL News reports, Trump’s approval rating, as of this writing, stands at 45 percent according to the latest Gallup poll. That marks the lowest approval rating he’s had in over a month.
Donald Trump’s Treasury pick called him “the poster child for crony capitalism” during primary campaign https://t.co/rAq6ur6uw8 pic.twitter.com/HnTSG3WaTK
— CNN (@CNN) March 12, 2017
In fact, Trump has only enjoyed approval ratings nearing 50 percent, at least as far as Gallup polling is concerned, at only one point since he took office: just days after his inauguration. Similarly, a Rasmussen poll, also taken shortly after the inauguration, showed an approval rating of 59 percent. Rasmussen, which is more right-wing and thus more favorable to the president, shows an approval rating today of 48 percent — an 11-point drop in one month.
So what’s the reason for the staggering drop? The answer to that question depends largely on whom you ask. But observers point to a February 28 address to a joint session of Congress in which Trump, in a departure from his more traditional approach of speaking off-the-cuff, delivered a careful, measured speech that took an almost conciliatory tone, according to an NPR report from the time.
“All the nations of the world, friend or foe, will find that America is strong, America is proud, and America is free. In nine years, United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding. 250 years since the day we declared our independence. It will be one of the great milestones in the history of the world. But what will America look like as we reach our 250th year? What kind of country will we leave for our children?”
Take a look at the President’s big week highlighted by an acclaimed speech to a joint session of Congress. READ: https://t.co/12VKHFixIa pic.twitter.com/YEOKUvv1lT
— Official Team Trump (@TeamTrump) March 6, 2017
The speech drew wide praise, even from Trump critics, for being a “presidential” address that showed some promise of Trump being able to perform as a statesman.
Unfortunately, the good will generated by that speech dried up within days. Just days after delivering his speech to Congress, Trump took to Twitter to accuse Barack Obama of wire-tapping his phones.
Is it legal for a sitting President to be “wire tapping” a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017
The accusation was made with absolutely zero basis in fact, according to CNN, and Barack Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis dismissed the accusation as “simply false.”
“As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any US citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false.”
Also dooming Trump’s approval rating is the rollout of the American Health Care Plan, also referred to as “Trumpcare.” The bill, according to Business Insider, is hugely unpopular with the general public, Democrats in Congress, and even many Republicans. Long-time Trump supporter Tom Cotton of Arkansas, for example, is so frustrated with the bill that he called on fellow Republicans to simply “start over.”
“House health-care bill can’t pass Senate w/o major changes. To my friends in House: pause, start over. Get it right, don’t get it fast.”
There is some good news in Trump’s poll numbers, however. Another recent Gallup survey showed that 53 percent of Americans believe that Trump will bring prosperity back to the country.
Do you believe that Donald Trump’s approval ratings accurately represent how trump is doing as President?
[Featured Image by Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool/Getty Images]
