Survey Says is a weekly collection rounding up an important polling tendencies or information factors you must find out about, plus a vibe test on a pattern that’s driving politics.
Trump within the tank
Donald Trump is one way or the other solely six months into his second presidency but when it feels prefer it’s torturously longer, you’re not alone. People are souring on him shortly.
Gallup finds Trump along with his lowest approval score since retaking the White Home in January. Simply 37% of People approve of the way in which he’s dealt with his job as president. That’s down from a excessive of 47% in January, and it brings him very near the numbers he exited the White Home with in January 2021, when 34% permitted of him.
Independents are primarily those steering his approval score south. Solely 29% approve of the way in which he’s dealing with the presidency, down from 36% in June.
Republicans and Democrats largely haven’t modified their minds about him. Eighty-nine p.c of Republicans approve of him, barely decrease than his excessive of 93% in February. In the meantime, 2% of Democrats approve, which is down from a excessive of 6% in January.
Altogether, Trump’s poor approval score is historic. Actually. Amongst presidents who first took workplace after World Struggle II, none have had a decrease common approval score within the second quarter of their second time period, which, for Trump, spans April 20 to July 19 of this 12 months.
Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and Invoice Clinton every loved majority approval on common within the second quarter of their second phrases. Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Richard Nixon landed within the high-to-mid-40s. Trump, although? Simply 40%.
Actually, the one president who bought a worse score in his second quarter was … Trump, in his first time period. In 2017, he scored simply 39% approval on common within the second quarter of that time period.
The rationale for this souring public sentiment seems to be his falling numbers throughout many key points. Since February, he has fallen 8 share factors on his dealing with of immigration, 6 factors on overseas commerce, 4 factors on overseas affairs, and 4 factors on the scenario between Israelis and Palestinians. Since March, he’s slipped 8 factors on his dealing with of the scenario in Ukraine and a stunning 14 factors on his method to the federal price range.
Most damning for him, although, is his grade on inflation. Information from YouGov finds Trump along with his worst approval on that concern since retaking workplace in January. Only one in 3 People approves of his dealing with of inflation, whereas 61% disapprove, in keeping with the most recent polling. That makes for a web approval score of -29 factors. In January, he was +6 factors on the difficulty.
That discovering is backed up by a brand new ballot from the famed Marquette College Legislation College, which finds Trump 30 factors underwater on dealing with inflation. Worse for him, inflation is an important concern to People, with 1 in 3 flagging it as the highest drawback.
After all, there could also be one other drawback that’s inflicting his approval to tumble …
Epstein scandal beneficial properties much more steam
Trump’s greatest unforced error but would possibly simply be his administration’s bungled dealing with of the case information round convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein, considered one of Trump’s former friends. People are mad in regards to the administration’s dealing with of the information, however a deluge of latest polling reveals they assume they’ve a good suggestion of why the administration is being cagey.
Fifty-three p.c of People assume the administration hasn’t launched the information as a result of Trump is known as in them, in keeping with YouGov. The agency additionally finds that 61% assume Trump is known as within the Epstein information. Each outcomes have been launched on Thursday, the day after The Wall Road Journal reported that the Justice Division briefed Trump about his title showing “multiple times” within the information.
Each polls discover that Republicans usually are not outright defending Trump, both. In each, round 1 in 3 Republicans solutions “not sure” as an alternative of responding “yes” or “no,” signaling discomfort with the difficulty. Which is sensible. The Republican base has lengthy hunted for the federal government to launch its information on Epstein—and now it might hurt their essential man? Discuss pleasant fireplace.
On July 17, commuters stroll previous a bus cease in London as activists put up a poster of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein.
The rationale for that squeamishness? Nicely, 49% of Republicans assume Trump had a minimum of just a little information of Epstein’s crimes earlier than any allegations grew to become public, in keeping with a July 18 ballot from YouGov. Solely 21% say he knew nothing.
That stated, it is also that Democrats are extra prepared to leap on this scandal and assume they know greater than they do. In all three of those polls, solely 11-12% of Democrats answered “not sure,” and in all three, independents’ “not sure” figures have been rather more carefully aligned with Republicans’.
Both means, it’s notable that Republicans aren’t additionally assuming they know extra and that Trump is clear within the scandal.
One thing else to bear in mind: Regardless of two bombshell stories from The Wall Road Journal, one hitting on July 17 and the opposite this previous Wednesday, the share of People who assume Trump is concerned in Epstein’s crimes is excessive—however largely unchanged since early June. Round 45% of People assume Trump was concerned.
Perhaps if the Justice Division finally ends up folding and releasing extra information, that quantity will improve. And possibly, simply possibly, that’s why we haven’t seen them.
Is there a landfill in your yard?
Three months in the past, Trump’s head of the Environmental Safety Company, Lee Zeldin, visited a hazardous landfill close to St. Louis, the place an underground rubbish fireplace burns towards an previous cache of nuclear waste. After this, he moved to hurry up cleanup.
The Trump administration is weakening laws round landfill emissions, even when these emissions comprise poisonous chemical compounds like benzene, which may trigger leukemia and different cancers.
So that you may be questioning … how shut is the closest landfill? Nicely, Day by day Kos has constructed a device for that.
Utilizing the latest information from the Environmental Safety Company, we plotted out on the map beneath almost each energetic and shuttered municipal solid-waste landfill in america and its territories. You’ll additionally discover every website’s tonnage of waste. Some websites needed to be excluded from the map because of the authorities not offering high-quality location information or the location’s waste tonnage.
However, additional down, you’ll discover a searchable desk that has all 2,641 landfills within the U.S., together with the state, metropolis, and county for each.
Any updates?
Trump desires to make two sports activities groups—the NFL’s Washington Commanders and the MLB’s Cleveland Guardians—revert to their previous, racist names. However People assume he’s overstepping: Roughly two-thirds say it’s unacceptable for him to make such a requirement, whereas solely 15% assume it’s acceptable, in keeping with YouGov. Even a plurality of Republicans (38%) say it’s unacceptable.
Positive, defunding public media might damage the very rural People who overwhelmingly voted Trump into workplace final 12 months, but it surely’s additionally broadly unpopular. Solely 27% of People wish to see federal funding for public broadcasting reduce or eradicated, in keeping with the most recent YouGov/The Economist ballot. In the meantime, 33% need funding to be stored the identical, and 28% need it to be elevated.
Vibe test
For all the eye that cryptocurrency will get, together with from the president, you’d anticipate for lots of people to personal it. But solely 14% of American adults personal any, in keeping with Gallup. These largely more likely to personal it are males ages 18 to 49 (25% personal some) and people in households making $90,000 or extra a 12 months (19% personal it).
However outdoors of these people, the overwhelming majority of People present no urge for food to hop on the blockchain. A powerful majority (60%) have little interest in ever shopping for crypto, and one other 17% are intrigued however don’t have any intentions of shopping for it anytime quickly.
