Letter from an American, March 28, 2020: Trump's bounce in the polls
EDITOR'S NOTE: Given Trump's utterly incomptent and mindlessly inept response to the coronavirus pandemic, we were stunned to see him doing better in the polls than at any time since was inaugurated. This article, sent to us by our friend Holly Erwin, adds some needed perspective.
By HEATHER COX RICHARDSON
People are asking how it is that Trump’s approval ratings are higher than ever: an average of all the polls has him at 47%, a three-point increase. Two things: it is completely normal for a president to get an approval bump during a national crisis, and Trump’s is actually smaller than the bumps other presidents have gotten in crises. Leaving aside the extraordinary 39-point bump President George W. Bush got from 9-11 because it skews everything, President George H. W. Bush’s approval rating jumped 16 points at the start of the Gulf War, and that range is pretty typical. Trump’s bump still leaves him within the realm of his usual support levels, and, in any case it is unlikely to last.