A low approval rating will not cause the US president to hang his head in shame. He’s more likely to dig in
You’ll know the famous quote, bastardised from a 1926 column by the Baltimore journalist HL Mencken, that “No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.” The rest of the quote, less often cited, is: “Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.” It’s hard to disagree when you look at the polls. Because, despite everything, more than a third of Americans continue to think Donald Trump is doing a great job.
I’m not saying all is rosy for Trump: a new NBC News poll has found Trump’s popularity has plummeted to a second-term low. The cost of living in the US is rocketing and the country is embroiled in an immoral and economically disastrous war: two-thirds of Americans say the country is on the wrong path. But 37% still approve of Trump’s overall performance. That’s down from 42% in December but it’s still pretty damn high considering the US is being led by an adjudicated sexual predator who has started wars with both Iran and the pope recently, while making life at home harder. Trump can’t be blamed for everything, but there is evidence his policies have negatively affected growth, jobs and inflation.