Trump’s Pre-State of the Union Polling Numbers Among the Worst He’s Ever Had

On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump is slated to deliver a State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, in which he’s expected to give himself and his administration glowing praise, particularly on the economy, immigration enforcement, and foreign policy.

Viewers at home will largely disagree with his rosy assessments.

Multiple polls in recent weeks demonstrate that most Americans are unhappy with the administration’s actions since Trump reentered the White House. Many surveys even put Trump’s ratings in the negative territory by double digits.

A CNN/SSRS poll published on Monday, for example, finds that only 36 percent of registered voters approve of Trump’s handling of the presidency, while 63 percent disapprove.

Asked whether Trump’s policies would move the country in a positive direction, 38 percent said they believed they would, while 61 percent said they would not. And on whether Trump has the right priorities in mind as president for the rest of the country, only 32 percent says he does, while 68 percent says he doesn’t — the highest negative reading on that question for Trump across both his first and second terms.

Trump’s approval rating is the worst it’s ever been, too, with independent voters, a crucial group in the midterms this fall if they’re to have any chance at retaining control of Congress. According to the poll, only 26 percent of independents say they approve of Trump’s job performance — a 15-point drop in the poll from this time last year.

The polling aggregate site RealClearPolling gives Trump bad news, too. According to that website, which averages the last 10 polls from various sources to create an average for political figures, Trump currently has a -13-point approval rating.

That figure is low despite even incorporating some right-leaning polls whose credibility has been challenged in recent years, including Rasmussen Reports and InsiderAdvantage, the latter of which is the only poll from the last 10 included in the average that gives him a positive rating.

Meanwhile, other polls from the last few weeks in the aggregate show Trump with much worse ratings. The ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll has him with a -17-point rating; the Economist/YouGov poll has him at -12 points; the NBC News Decision Desk poll at -22 points; and the AP/NORC poll at -26 points.

Trump’s ReaClearPolling rating is the worst he’s seen since returning to the White House (even with the conservative-leaning polls included in the aggregate), with those showing 55.8 percent of Americans, on average, disapprove of Trump’s job performance.

Trump is also faring poorly with Americans on specific issues. The ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll, found that only 40 percent of respondents approve of his actions on immigration, while 58 percent disapprove.

Asked if Trump is “going too far” in his mass deportation operations, 58 percent indicated they believe he is, with only 12 percent saying he’s not going far enough, and 28 percent approving of current levels.

On the economy, a Pew Research poll conducted last month found that only 28 percent believe Trump’s policies have made conditions better, while 52 percent say the administration has made them worse.

Ninety-three percent of respondents in the poll said they are “very” or “somewhat” concerned about the price of health care, with 92 percent saying they felt those same levels of concern over the price of food and consumer goods. Seventy-nine percent said they are concerned about the ability of people seeking employment to find jobs.

And on foreign policy, while a military attack on Iran by Trump seems imminent, most Americans are skeptical of that idea, too. A University of Maryland nationwide poll conducted earlier this month found 49 percent of voters would oppose such an action, with only 21 percent approving. Polls conducted before the administration’s military attack on Venezuela consistently uncovered opposition to that plan, too.

The Economist/YouGov poll published last week asked respondents about what words they would use to describe Trump. On whether he is “honest,” only 21 percent said yes. Meanwhile, 49 percent agreed that he is “corrupt,” while 46 percent said he is “cruel,” 43 percent called him “out-of-touch,” and 50 percent described him as “dangerous.” Forty-seven percent also described him as “racist.”

Finally, a Marist poll published on Monday asked respondents about whether they felt the state of the union was “strong.” Only 43 percent said it was, while 57 percent said it was not. Sixty percent of Americans also said the country is worse off than it was a year ago, while only 40 percent say things are better.

Taken together, all of these polling data suggest that Trump discussing all of the supposed “positives” that his administration has accomplished could actually hurt him. Traditionally, presidents don’t receive much of a “bump” in their polling numbers after their State of the Union addresses. But failing to address the concerns most Americans have, and instead praising himself for purportedly having done a good job so far, has the potential to sink Americans’ view of Trump even more, and in turn hurt Republicans in general, just months ahead of an important midterm election.