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Hostile media can’t fathom Trump’s improving poll numbers

Apr 1, 2020

By Dave Andrusko

I mentioned this to a colleague earlier this week, so this is not an after the fact comment. When polling data is favorably disposed to President Trump, and especially so when it comes to his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, you can bet the farm that somebody else will just happen to find new numbers showing just the opposite.

Here’s how Dan Balz and Emily Guskin summarized a key finding from the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted March 22-25.

His job approval rating stands at 48 percent positive and 46 percent negative among all adults, up from 43 percent positive and 53 percent negative in February. That is the highest approval rating of his presidency in Post-ABC surveys and the first time his overall rating is net positive.

On the specific question of how well he has dealt with the coronavirus problem, 51 percent say they approve and 45 percent disapprove. A CNN-SSRS poll taken about three weeks ago found only 41 percent approving and 48 percent disapproving.

But no doubt the Associated Press saw this and decided, “this shall not stand.” We read today that only 44% of the public approves of the way President Trump is handling the pandemic to 55% that disapproves in a poll taken March 26-29. Two things.

First, we are to believe the President’s approval of his handling of the COVID-19 dropped from 51% to 44% and his disapproved leaped from 45% to 55% in four days?!

Second, even with those numbers, President Trump’s approval numbers are 6 points higher than the marks the public gives the federal government for dealing with the virus. 

One other important consideration. Hot Air’s Jazz Shaw wrote the following yesterday before the AP came up with its numbers:

As [Hot Air’s] Ed Morrissey recently pointed out, President Trump has received some of the only good news going around the country lately, coming in the form of the best approval ratings of his presidency. This has been a serious problem for most of the major liberal newspapers and cable news outlets who generally continue to insist that the Bad Orange Man is always Bad, no matter what happens. The majority of them have avoided talking about his improved ratings, or if they do, they add in every caveat imaginable about how it either won’t last or doesn’t matter.

There were several articles that appeared in the last couple of days, two in particular, that are worth a few words. One was in the Washington Post, the other in the Los Angeles Times, both Trump-hating publications. The gist of the posts was captured in this bad news subhead (by implication all President Trump’s fault); “A virus is raging. The economy is in free fall. Why Trump’s approval rating is still going up?”

The author could contribute it to the stubborn faithfulness of the “deplorables,” but the improvement reflects more support from Independents and even some Democrats. How can that be?

Well, duh, perhaps despite a never-ending barrage of media criticism, the public has more confidence in President Trump’s leadership than does the media elite.

Categories: Donald Trump
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