As Trump’s COVID-19 approval plunges, his polling starts to mirror one-term presidents
Americans’ approval of President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic has hit a record low, with about two-thirds of adults disapproving as COVID-19 cases surge across the U.S., according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll.
Sixty-seven percent of Americans surveyed from July 8 to 9 disapproved of Trump’s handling of the virus. His approval went from 41% in mid-June to 33% in the latest poll, while those disapproving rose from 58% to 67% — a 17-point swing.
Fifty-five percent of American adults had approved of Trump’s management of the coronavirus in mid-March, according to the ABC/Ipsos poll, but a growing majority in the US has disapproved since the beginning of April.
More than 3 million people in the U.S. have been confirmed infected with COVID-19 as of July 10, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 133,000 people in the U.S. have died from the virus so far.
Republican support for Trump has also fallen in the most recent poll, with 78% approving of how he’s handled the pandemic compared to 90% in June.
Independents are also less likely to support Trump’s efforts, with 26% approving in the latest poll compared to 40% in June.
The ABC News/Ipsos poll was conducted from July 8 to 9 by Ipsos Public Affairs’ KnowledgePanel with a sample of 711 adults. The results have a margin of error of 4.1 points.
Where does Trump stand compared to other presidents up for election?
The ABC poll also aligns with Trump’s overall approval rating as president.
The FiveThirtyEight aggregate of polling finds Trump with about 56% of American adults disapproving of his job performance while 40% approve.
In the latest Gallup poll, 38% of Americans approved of Trump, earning comparisons to other one-term presidents George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter who had less than 40% approval rating in the June of their reelection years.
H.W. Bush had a 38% approval rating in late June, according to Gallup, while Carter had a 31% approval.
Trump’s overall approval rating dropped from his all-time high of 49% in May to 38% in early June, coinciding with the national protests over the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in Minneapolis police custody.
Ninety-one percent of Republicans approve of Trump, compared to 2% of Democrats — the biggest partisan gap ever recorded for a president in a single poll, according to Gallup. In the May 28 to June 4 poll, 85% of Republicans approved of Trump, 39% of independents approved, and 5% of Democrats approved.
Incumbent presidents who reach an approval of 50% or higher usually go on to win a second term while presidents with less than 50% have most often lost, according to Gallup.
The Gallup poll was conducted from June 8 to 30 with a sample of 1,016 adults in all U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
This story was originally published July 10, 2020 at 12:01 PM with the headline "As Trump’s COVID-19 approval plunges, his polling starts to mirror one-term presidents."