A new Gallup poll shows Trump is in bad shape less than three months out from the election. The president has a 42 percent approval nationwide, up from 38 percent about a month ago but well below his ratings prior to June, when he hit a high of 49 percent.
What’s more revealing is that the poll found a majority of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of seven key issues: the economy, race relations, response to the coronavirus, foreign affairs, US-China relations, education, and crime. On race relations and the COVID-19 response, more than 60 percent of Americans disapprove of the job Trump is doing.
While Trump’s overall approval rating has remained largely steady, his approval on certain issues has seen wide swings. For example, Gallup finds that 48 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, down from 63 percent at the beginning of the year. This is unsurprising as the U.S. economy recently went through its worst quarter ever. The way Americans view Trump’s coronavirus response has also seen a dramatic swing, going from 60 percent approval in March to 63 percent disapproval now. Again, this is to be expected as COVID has killed more than 170,000 Americans, a death toll far higher than any other country.
In spite of this, there is good news for Trump in Texas. A poll from the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation and Rice University shows Trump ahead of Biden in Texas by seven points among registered voters and 5.4 points among likely voters. This is in contrast to earlier polls showing Biden very close behind Trump or even ahead in the Lone Star State. The poll is a stark reminder that while Texas has trended toward the left over the past few years, the Democrats will have to fight hard to make a blue Texas a reality.
The poll also had a Hispanic oversample and while it found Biden ahead among Hispanic voters by almost double digits, there is quite a bit of variety within the Latinx vote. “This poll reinforces the fact that Hispanic voters are not monolithic and have a unique perspective on this race vis a vis Hispanics in other states,” said THPF President Jason Villalba. “There is a clear gender gap among Hispanic voters, as well as differences based on age, religion and educational attainment. Despite Biden’s nearly 10 percent lead, neither presidential candidate has yet to completely lock down the Texas Hispanic vote.
“The results of this data show you can’t take the Hispanic vote for granted,” said former state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, a member of the THPF Board of Directors. “If you want our support, you better work for it.”
Photo:Corey Sipkin/AFP/Getty Images
William serves as the Washington Correspondent for the Texas Signal, where he primarily writes about Congress and other federal issues that affect Texas. A graduate of Colorado College, William has worked on Democratic campaigns in Texas, Colorado, and North Carolina. He is an internet meme expert.
