Trump Hits Record Polling High Even as Frustration with Virus Grows
Restive under the yoke of restrictions imposed at the behest of the country’s health experts, Americans are increasingly supportive of President Donald Trump as he vows to steer a course that protects the nation’s economy as well as its health.
A Fox News poll released Friday found that Trump’s approval rating climbed for the second straight month.
The poll revealed that 49 percent of those surveyed approve of Trump’s brand of crisis leadership, a “record high” in the poll, Fox said. That number is an increase from 48 percent in March and 47 percent in February.
Trump’s approval rating had been as low as 38 percent in October 2017.
The data is clear: Our collective national effort is saving many lives. Keep up the fight! pic.twitter.com/MMk1BpwDpg
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 10, 2020
The Fox News poll found that 89 percent of Republicans approve of the job Trump is currently doing.
On the specific question of his coronavirus actions, the poll found that 51 percent of those surveyed approve of his response to the crisis.
“The president’s bump in approval isn’t huge, and certainly not on par with the rally effect for George W. Bush after 9/11,” Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who oversaw the Fox News Poll along with Democrat Chris Anderson, said. “But it could be consequential that he’s closing in on 50 percent, which is critical for his re-election chances.”
Fifty-one percent of those polled said they support Trump’s efforts to empathize with Americans. Forty-eight percent said he is providing strong leadership in responding to the pandemic, while 47 percent say he is making good policy decisions.
The poll found that 57 percent say the nation is generally doing the right things in its fight against the coronavirus.
The Invisible Enemy will soon be in full retreat!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 10, 2020
But the pandemic has taken its toll.
Fifty percent of respondents said they or someone in their household has either lost a job or had hours reduced due to the virus, up 7 points from March.
Just 26 percent said the economy was in “excellent” or “good” shape (down from 55 percent in January), while a whopping 94 percent of respondents said they were “very” or “somewhat” concerned about the virus spreading, up from 92 percent in March.
“Conducted April 4-7, 2020 under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company (R), this Fox News Poll includes interviews with 1,107 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide who spoke with live interviewers on both landlines and cellphones,” Fox reported. “The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points for all registered voters.”
Meanwhile, the growing nature of unease with restrictions was shown in Kansas, where GOP legislators overturned an executive order from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly limiting attendance at church gatherings and funerals, according to The Topeka Capital-Journal.
The Governor should not use this crisis, or any other crisis, as a basis to restrict our constitutional rights. This is the people’s government, always will be, and I will carry their voices when the call is clear. This is still America. #ksleg
— Susan Wagle (@SenatorWagle) April 9, 2020
“It appears to be out of line, extreme and clearly in violation, a blatant violation, of our fundamental rights,” Senate president Susan Wagle, a Republican from Wichita, said.
Further, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said that while the governor’s order might be sound health advice, it was still wrong.
“Because no Kansan should be threatened with fine or imprisonment, arrested or prosecuted for performing or attending church or other religious services, law enforcement officers are advised to … avoid engaging in criminal enforcement of its limitations on religious facilities, services or activities,” Schmidt said.
“My point of view should not have been surprising to the governor because my office repeatedly advised against issuing the overreaching executive order regulating churches and notified her I would express my concerns publicly if she proceeded,” he added. “She did, and so did I.”
Libertarian Ron Paul recently leveled harsh criticism at Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“Even the bad guys are admitting it, and that is they made these dire predictions so that they could go ahead and destroy peoples’ civil liberties and spend a lot of money and make up an excuse on why the stock market actually went down — all kinds of things by having this coronavirus event blown way out of proportion,” he said on “Ron Paul Liberty Report” internet show, according to The Washington Times.
“He should be fired,” Paul said.
“But if you don’t do it in the literal sense, the people have to fire him. And they have to fire him by saying ‘he’s a fraud.'”
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