Guns, immigration boost Trump's approval to 50%
Half of American voters approve of President Donald Trump’s job performance, according to the latest survey by conservative pollster Rasmussen.
Trump’s approval numbers have hovered in the low to mid-40s for much of the last year, but have rallied in recent months. His overall job approval rating is now ahead of where Barack Obama’s was at this stage of his presidency.
These latest numbers come just hours after the president took to Twitter to blast Mexico for failing to do its part in stopping migration from Central America. In a series of tweets, Trump declared DACA “dead,” called again for a border wall, and seemed to mix up Mexico’s northern and southern borders.
Trump’s stance on gun control also appears to have struck a chord with the public. Following an op-ed by a retired Supreme Court Justice calling for the repeal of the Second Amendment, Trump’s vocal pro-gun response found favor with Americans. Despite anti-gun marches and round-the-clock television coverage, Rasmussen reported that most Americans outright reject repeal of the amendment.
THE SECOND AMENDMENT WILL NEVER BE REPEALED! As much as Democrats would like to see this happen, and despite the words yesterday of former Supreme Court Justice Stevens, NO WAY. We need more Republicans in 2018 and must ALWAYS hold the Supreme Court!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 28 марта 2018 г.
Economic factors also played their part in the president’s ascent in the polls. The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell late March to 215,000, the lowest level since 1973. Trump’s long-promised tax-cuts, introduced last November, caused his approval numbers to rebound from almost their lowest point ever, 37 percent at the start of the year.
While the Republican Party played its part in making Trump’s tax reforms a reality, establishment figures within the party have often opposed the president’s plans. Last month, House Speaker Paul Ryan spoke out against Trump’s plans to introduce punitive tariffs on steel imports.
Most Republican voters, however, side with Trump over GOP lawmakers. In another poll taken last October, 57 percent of Republican voters said that the party should be more like the president. Only 33 percent believed that Trump should be more like his party’s senators. In addition, 38 percent believed that Republican senators were a bigger obstacle for Trump than Democrat ones.
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
