Half of Registered Voters Say Donald Trump Deserves Re-election, 52% Say Acquit
Gallup finds President Donald J. Trump’s approval rating has hit a new high of 49% and half of registered voters say he deserves to be re-elected in November.
The poll also finds 50% of Americans disapproving of President Trump and just 1% have no opinion. The average percentage not having an opinion on Trump has been 5% throughout his presidency.
However, 63% now approve of the way he is handling the economy, up 6 points from November. That is the highest economic approval rating ever measured for any president on an issue since George W. Bush was buoyed in the months following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
President Trump’s approval rating increase is driven by higher ratings among both Republicans and independents. Now, 94% of Republicans approve of the president, up 6 percentage points from early January and 3 points from his previous high.
The 42% approval rating among independents is a gain of 5 points, a tie with three other polls as his best among that demographic.
Democratic approval is 7%, down slightly from 10%, making for an 87-point gap between partisan approval, which is the largest Gallup has ever measured. It surpasses the prior record held by both Presidents Trump and Barack Obama, albeit by 1 point.
Americans Want Acquittal in Impeachment Trial
The Gallup poll was conducted from January 16-29 poll, squarely in the middle of the impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate. The most likely result is acquittal, and Americans want to see that outcome.
The poll finds 52% of Americans favor the U.S. Senate acquitting President Trump, while 46% are in favor of a conviction and removing him from office.
Trump Lifting Republican Party
For the first time since 2005, the Republican Party’s favorability rating has exceeded 50%. Now, 51% of Americans view the Republican Party favorably, up from 43% in September.
Meanwhile, 45% have a favorable view of the Democratic Party, down from 48% in September. Further, 48% of Americans identify as Republicans or leaning toward the GOP, compared with 44% who identify as Democrat or leaning toward the Democratic Party.
