# Trump Approval Hits 50% **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 17, 2017, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676 "2017-04-17T23:06:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676/1 "2017-04-17T23:06:05Z")
Rasmussen Reports: [Daily Presidential Tracking Poll - Rasmussen Reports®](http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/trump_administration/prez_track_apr17) Not here on the Dope, though. Not yet anyway. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676/2 "2017-04-17T23:10:15Z")
When you can back those numbers up by a couple of pollsters _other than_ Rasmussen, then post. Otherwise the data is bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676/3 "2017-04-17T23:10:30Z")
Consider the source. Sad. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676/4 "2017-04-17T23:11:45Z")
Rasmussen has THE BEST polls. ---
**Author:** ![igor\_frankensteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/839c29/32.png) [@igor\_frankensteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/igor_frankensteen)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676/5 "2017-04-17T23:13:29Z")
Even more to the point, when you can show that Trumps approval ratings grew WITHOUT him repeatedly deserting his campaign pledges and shifting which side he’s on, then it would have meaning. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676/6 "2017-04-17T23:17:46Z")
[Is Donald Trump’s approval rating really 50 percent?](http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/17/politics/trump-approval-rating-rasmussen/) > [@](#): > > Most polling on Trump’s approval ratings suggest Rasmussen’s 50% number is an outlier. Gallup’s latest daily tracking poll – current as of Friday afternoon – puts the President’s approval at 41% and his disapproval at 53%. Marist found his approval rating at 39% and disapproval at 49%, while CBS News pegged his approval rating at 43% and disapproval at 52%. > > What Rasmussen may be picking up – and this tracks with Gallup’s findings as well – is that after hitting a low point in his job approval at the start of this month, Trump has been tracking upward. Rasmussen measured him at 42% approval on April 3 while Gallup had Trump’s weekly average at 38% as of April 2. Both polls suggest gains for Trump since then; the difference is that Trump started off higher in Rasmussen than in Gallup. The strikes on Syria and Afghanistan might have made a difference in his approval rating. But if then there’s no good planned follow up, then I could see his approval rates plummeting again. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676/7 "2017-04-17T23:18:18Z")
> **[How Popular Is Donald Trump?](https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/)** > > FiveThirtyEight is tracking Donald Trump’s approval ratings throughout his presidency. Given that Trump cares only about his popularity, it’s a little surprising that he has the least popular presidency on record. I would have expected more rah-rah bombings and assorted low-hanging demagoguery. But his people don’t seem to be even competent enough for that, as exemplified by their ill-fated list of immigrant criminals. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676/8 "2017-04-17T23:25:19Z")
Considering he is already emptying the barrel of quick fix boosts a bit over 100 days in, this is gonna get ugly. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676/9 "2017-04-17T23:33:38Z")
It is one data point. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676/10 "2017-04-17T23:36:45Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > It is one data point. Somebody liked [Heil Honey, I’m Home](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heil_Honey_I%27m_Home!) as well. There’s another data point for you. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676/11 "2017-04-17T23:44:03Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Somebody liked [Heil Honey, I’m Home](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heil_Honey_I%27m_Home!) as well. > > There’s another data point for you. > [@](#): > > … perhaps the world’s most tasteless situation comedy. Yup. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676/12 "2017-04-17T23:47:31Z")
I’m getting flashbacks to 2016 and the immediate SDMB rejection of any poll numbers that showed Trump doing well. But this time, it’s different. Right? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676/13 "2017-04-17T23:54:36Z")
If 2016 made you believe in cherry picking polls, I’m afraid you’ve learned the wrong lessons. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2017, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676/14 "2017-04-18T00:25:29Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > Considering he is already emptying the barrel of quick fix boosts a bit over 100 days in, this is gonna get ugly. It’s only 87 days in to his reign. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2017, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676/15 "2017-04-18T00:28:24Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > It’s only 87 days in to his reign. Trump’s days are biglier than most. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2017, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676/16 "2017-04-18T01:45:52Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Not here on the Dope, though. Not yet anyway. Do you really expect that to change? I mean even many of the few conservatives here who might be taking a little vicarious pleasure in liberal tears didn’t vote for the man. And even if you were to eventually convert every one of those “I’m a conservative, but Trump is a buffoon” voters into pro-Trump boosters, you still wouldn’t hit 50% on the SDMB. It’s a strongly left-leaning board and **astorian** ’s recent musing in GD aside, I really don’t think the left will ever embrace Trump. I mean, I’m pretty sure I won’t ;). ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2017, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676/17 "2017-04-18T02:14:13Z")
[Rasmussen Trump Approval Index History since his inauguration](http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/trump_administration/trump_approval_index_history). On January 26, 2017 they had Trump at 59% approve 41% disapprove for a net of +18. Less than three months later they have him at 50/50 +0. The question we should be asking is why Trump is so much less popular than he was three months ago. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2017, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676/18 "2017-04-18T02:17:38Z")
Meaningfully one can look at trends even in the outlier. Rasmussen has had him mostly over 50%, peaking at 59% end of January, dropping 11 points in a period of March to start of April, hitting a low of 42%, now recovered 8 points. Gallup didn’t exactly parallel but they saw his numbers dropping 10 points in that same March to early April period (from 45 to 35) and have seen him recover some too, 6 points. Net down-up within one point of each other, still lower than he was beginning of March but up from his lows. For comparison Rasmussen had Obama at 55% approval on 4/17/2009. Gallup same date 62%. So a 7 point Rasmussen GOP lean\* compared to Gallup and the rest of the pack seems pretty standard and Trump has seen a move up 7ish points from his lows over the past 2ish weeks in either case. Honestly I am a bit surprised he has not seen a bigger bump. ETA: \*or consider it a 7 point Democratic lean of everyone else compared to Rasmussen if you prefer. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2017, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676/19 "2017-04-18T02:31:52Z")
I’ll point this difference out between Rasmussen and the rest of the pack. As far as I know they are the only ones applying a likely voter screen on their presidential approval poll. Every other poll is either registered voters or adults. It’s not really an apples to apples comparison. Rasmussen says 50% of **likely voters** approve of the job Trump is doing while Gallup says 41% of **adults** approve of the job Trump is doing. It is possible that they are both perfectly accurate since they are not answering the same question. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2017, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676/20 "2017-04-18T02:36:27Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Rasmussen has THE BEST polls. They’re really great. You’re going to love 'em - I guarnatee it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-approval-hits-50/784676.md?page=2)