April 9th, 2019

Trump Approval Hits High Not Reached Since Mueller Probe Began

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As Attorney General William Barr works with the special counsel’s team to finalize redactions on the “Russia collusion” report — which “did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities” — President Trump’s approval number in Rasmussen’s daily tracking poll has reached a high the president hasn’t enjoyed for over two years, before the Trump-Russia probe was first authorized.

Rasmussen reported Tuesday that their daily tracking poll found Trump at +8% in approval and holding a 1-point edge among those who feel “strongly” one way or the other.

“The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 53% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Forty-five percent (45%) disapprove,” the pollster reports. “The latest figures include 37% who Strongly Approve of the job Trump is doing and 36% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of +1.”

So how does that compare to Trump’s overall performance? It’s the best approval he’s experienced in Rasmussen’s poll since March 3 of 2017, when he likewise earned 53% approval, but performed less well in disapproval (47%). At that point, the president was likewise at +1 in the poll’s Approval Index rating.

To find better numbers than Tuesday’s, Trump would have to go back to February 17 — less than a month after he took office — when he hit a high of 55% approval and 45% disapproval. His index then was also slightly better at +2%.

Since being sworn into office on January 20, 2017, Trump’s highest approval he has ever achieved in Rasmussen’s daily tracking poll is 59%, a mark he hit six days after his inauguration. With just 31% disapproving, Trump was +28% in approval and +13% in the poll’s Approval Index rating (44% strongly approving, 31% strongly disapproving). But within just a few weeks, the newly sworn-in president’s approval was hovering in the low-50s; by the end of March, Trump’s approval had sunk to the low-40s, where it remained for most of the next year.

Overall, Rasmussen has largely found Trump’s approval fluctuating in the mid-40s. Since late-February, however, the president’s numbers have climbed to the high-40s and low-50s.

Of the national polls, Rasmussen frequently gives Trump higher marks than many of the others. Real Clear Politics’ average of national polls currently shows Trump in the red by nearly 8% (44- 51.8). The most recent The Hill/Harris X survey found Trump -8% behind, 46-54. A recent IBD/TIPP poll gave Trump a -11% rating (41-52). Economist/YouGov’s most recent poll also showed Trump with worse numbers than Rasmussen (43-54, -11), as did a Politico/Morning Consult poll (42-53, -11).

While Trump appears to be enjoying a bump after Mueller concluded his report with no further indictments — having found no collusion and not taking an official position on obstruction of justice, according to Barr’s summary — many voters appear to remain fixed in their view of his presidency. As Rasmussen has consistently found, around 70% of voters feel strongly one way or the other on the president, which explains why his numbers don’t fluctuate as much as one might expect for such a turbulent presidency.