Poll: Trump’s Approval Rating Rises to the Highest Level Since March 2017

Boxing promoter Don King, right, holds up the hand of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a visit to the Pastors Leadership Conference at New Spirit Revival Center, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016, in Cleveland, Ohio. (AP Photo)

The percentage of voters who approve of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as President is at the highest level measured by the PPD Poll since March 2017. The gain in his approval rating is in large part fueled by an increase in support among minority voters, specifically black voters.

Overall, 48% approve of the way Mr. Trump is handling his job as President, including 31% (31.4) who “Strongly approve” and 17% (16.6) who at least “Somewhat approve.” That gives him a slight 1-point intensity edge. While it may be small, it comes after roughly a year of the intensity index favoring those who disapprove.

Among white voters, 52% (51.6) approve, including 36% (35.7) who strongly approve. But it’s his numbers among minorities that exhibited the most significant change.

Now, 44% (43.6) of Hispanics and a record 27% (26.6) of black voters at least somewhat approve of the way Mr. Trump is handling his job as President.

“The bump in support for President Trump among black voters we’ve seen recently in other polls, is real,” Rich Baris, the Director of the Big Data Poll (PPD Poll) and PPD Election Projection Model said. “We don’t know whether it’s temporary, how long it’ll last or whether some increased support will remain. But it’s definitely real.”

Fifty-two percent (51.9) of voters still disapprove of the way Mr. Trump is handling his job as President, including 31% (30.8) who strongly disapprove and another 12% (12.3) who at least somewhat disapprove.

However, voters give him much higher marks on specific issues than they do overall, with the U.S. economy and employment and jobs being his top-rated issues. With a closely divided 49%/50% spread, his handling of U.S. foreign policy was the only tested issue that came back underwater, albeit by the slimmest of margins.

It’s well within the +/- 3% margin of sampling error.

Nearly 6 in 10 voters, or 58% (57.5), give his stewardship of the U.S. economy a thumbs up, including 42% (41.3) who strongly approve and another 16% (16.2) who at least somewhat approve.

On employment and jobs, President Trump is above water 55%/44%, including 39% (38.6) who strongly approve and another 16% (16.3) who at least somewhat approve.

Americans’ views about their personal finances and the state of the U.S. economy are fueling a higher sense of optimism. Forty-two percent (42.4) now say the country is headed in the right direction, up from an annual low of 32%, and 53% (53.2) now say it’s off on the wrong track, down from 61%.

Poll: Generic Ballot Lead for Democrats Shrinks to Within the Margin

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The mixed-mode survey of 1,067 likely voters nationwide was conducted from May 11 -12 & 14, 2018 by Big Data Poll for People’s Pundit Daily. The margin of sampling error = +/- 3% with a 95% Confidence Level.

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