Gap between Republican, Democratic approval of Trump sets record

The gap in President Trump’s approval rating between Republicans and Democrats is wider than any previous president, Gallup poll said Wednesday. 

The polling giant said that the 79 percentage point gap between Republican and Democratic approval of the president surpassed the 77 percent difference during former President Obama’s final year in office.

Its latest survey found that 87 percent of Republican respondents approved of Trump’s job performance during his second year in office, while just 8 percent of Democratic respondents gave the president positive marks. 

{mosads}Gallup polling indicates that recent presidencies have had heightened partisan splits in approval ratings. Only Trump, Obama, former President Clinton and former President George W. Bush had partisan gaps of more than 60 percentage points.

The poll released Wednesday surveyed 72,453 adults from Jan. 22, 2018 to Jan. 10, 2019. The margin of error is 1 percentage point.

Trump’s approval rating has hovered in the low 40-percent range for much of his presidency, with a wide partisan split. His numbers have stayed high among Republicans regardless of current events, an indication his support remains strong with his base.

Recent polling shows a majority of Americans blame Trump for the ongoing partial government shutdown, rather than Democrats, but his overall approval rating has been largely unchanged. The shutdown, now in its 26th day, was sparked by Trump’s demands for funding for a border wall.