President Trump’s job approval rating has jumped by 5 points in the latest Gallup survey, matching the high point of his presidency, as a majority of voters say they have a positive view of how the president has handled the coronavirus pandemic.
The new poll finds Trump’s job approval rating at 49 percent, up from 44 percent in the same survey earlier this month. The 49 percent job approval rating is the high mark for Trump since he came into office. He first hit that mark in late January, shortly before he was acquitted by the Senate in his impeachment trial.
The president’s job approval rating has remained steady among Republicans (92 percent), but he’s gained 8 points among independents (43 percent) and 6 points among Democrats (13 percent).
It appears that Trump’s handling of the coronavirus response is behind the approval rating bump. Sixty percent of voters overall said they approve of the job Trump is doing to address the epidemic, including 94 percent of Republicans, 60 percent of independents and 27 percent of Democrats.
Trump has been criticized by a number of Democrats in Washington who say he was too slow to recognize the threat of the virus and that he downplayed the threat at critical moments early on. A shortage of test kits has been a major problem, although it appears testing in the U.S. is accelerating fast.
But the president’s daily press briefings, in which he has surrounded himself with health experts, appear to be cutting through to the public.
Gallup analyst Jeffrey M. Jones likened the jump in approval to those past presidents have received during times of crisis.
“Historically, presidential job approval has increased when the nation is under threat. Every president from Franklin Roosevelt through George W. Bush saw their approval rating surge at least 10 points after a significant national event of this kind. Bush’s 35-point increase after 9/11 is the most notable rally effect on record,” Jones wrote.
“During these rallies, independents and supporters of the opposing party to the president typically show heightened support for the commander in chief.”