Trump Approval Polls Released Show Major Recent Plunge

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Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, which has already infected well over 133,000 Americans and killed more than 2,300 Americans and counting, President Donald Trump has proven obsessed with the public image of his administration and its response to the crisis. That obsession does not appear to be paying off. A new poll from Navigator Research reveals that public approval of Trump’s handling of the Coronavirus has plummeted in recent days. From a previous high of approval maintaining a 10 percent lead over disapproval, Trump’s disapproval has shot up to 3 percent more than his approval.

In polling conducted from March 20th through the 23rd, Trump managed the approval of 52 percent of respondents, while only 42 percent of respondents disapproved. In polling conducted from March 24th through 27th, there was a dramatic change. Trump’s approval fell to just 47 percent, and his disapproval shot up to a full 50 percent, meaning that close to a majority of respondents said that they were not onboard with Trump’s response to the pandemic.

Navigator explains:

‘More Americans now disapprove than approve of President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic for the first time in our daily tracking polls. His net approval on coronavirus has fallen 13 points over the course of the week… This is a substantial decline from an apparent peak in his approval at the start of the week, and it is increasingly converging with the president’s overall approval rating.’

Navigator reveals some other data points that could help explain the president’s sinking approval. Overall, 59 percent of respondents said that they were more concerned about the potential health effects of ending social distancing too soon than the potential negative economic effects of leaving social distancing demands in place for too long. Overall, only 26 percent of respondents actively prioritized the health of “the economy” along those lines above the health of the Americans who could be exposed to the virus if social distancing is ended. Trump has been clamoring recently to reopen the economy after business closures across the country that were meant to help stem the spread of the Coronavirus.

Overall, a full 50 percent of respondents in Navigator’s latest polling also said that they trust their state and local authorities more than the federal government to handle the crisis appropriately and effectively. Trump has wound himself up recently with complaints about authorities who’ve been on the front lines fighting the virus for considerable lengths of time already. He even revealed at a press conference that he’d told Vice President Mike Pence, who leads the government’s virus response task force, not to call governors back if they weren’t “appreciative” enough. Lives hang in the balance, and these are the president’s priorities.

This Sunday, Trump even insisted that his priorities for his press conferences rested with — wait for it — the television ratings for them.

He tweeted:

‘Because the “Ratings” of my News Conferences etc. are so high, “Bachelor finale, Monday Night Football type numbers” according to the @nytimes , the Lamestream Media is going CRAZY. “Trump is reaching too many people, we must stop him.” said one lunatic. See you at 5:00 P.M.!’

It’s not a game! People’s lives are at stake!