# Trump's favorability rating is on the rise since election. Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 6, 2016, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057 "2016-12-06T22:17:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057/81 "2016-12-08T23:40:07Z")
I believe there’s a line from a Simon and Garfunkel song that’s appropriate here: “Still, a man hears what he wants to hear. And disregards the rest.” ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057/82 "2016-12-09T02:01:03Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > but he’s clearly massively much better at influencing the public than either of the major parties. Since when does that require intelligence? Trump works purely on instinct. Concluding that Trump is intelligent because he managed to delude 20% of the American public is like thinking my cat is hyperintelligent because she’s a much better hunter than I am. Trump has a very specific skill–the same kind as a slimy used-car salesman possesses, but to a higher degree. Intelligence is, if anything, a downside–it’s correlated with introspection, which is anathema to the required narcissistic self-promotion. If the Democrats underestimated anything, it was the susceptibility of the general public to this sort of sleazy charisma. They may have forgotten why Bill Clinton got elected (he was intelligent, but that’s not why people voted for him). ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057/83 "2016-12-09T02:18:59Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Trump is now getting the best favorable ratings of his short political career. (see [here](http://www.theblaze.com/news/2016/12/05/poll-trumps-favorability-hits-all-time-high/) & [here](https://elections.huffingtonpost.com/pollster/donald-trump-favorable-rating)) What do you think is causing it? Simple. He’s in the eye of the storm between campaigning and governing. He’s got another 6 weeks before he has to do anything harder than making comically bad cabinet picks and throwing tantrums on Twitter. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057/84 "2016-12-09T02:20:31Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > “Spidey Sense” is fictional-Got it. Yes, it’s from a fucking comic book. And it is not a substitute for actual facts. But I forget… Facts are not useful anymore. We just know things because we know them. From somewhere… Our gut, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057/85 "2016-12-09T02:26:31Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Since when does that require intelligence? Since forever. Coming up with winning campaign strategies is difficult, and Trump manged to trounce Hillary Clinton in spite of the entire Democratic party being behind her, and a large part of the Republican party opposing him. Winning the presidency of the US is something that only 43 other people have managed, it’s not some minor achievement. > [@](#): > > Trump works purely on instinct. Concluding that Trump is intelligent because he managed to delude 20% of the American public is like thinking my cat is hyperintelligent because she’s a much better hunter than I am. If it’s so easy to figure out a winning campaign strategy, why didn’t the Democrats manage it against ‘stupid’ Trump? If it’s all just ‘instinct’ why can’t the oh-so-clever Democrats just hire someone with the instinct to come up with their campaign? And if your cat managed to win the election for president of the US, I’d certainly consider it hyperintelligent. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057/86 "2016-12-09T02:46:00Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > Since forever. Coming up with winning campaign strategies is difficult No, it’s not. Trump’s strategy was the only one available to him, so that’s what he used. In another time and place, a strategy of being erudite and dignified might have been the path to the presidency. Trump would have zero chance at faking that, and would have lost such an election. Trump won because he’s a populist blowhard, and being a populist blowhard is a winning combination right now. > [@Pantastic](#): > > If it’s all just ‘instinct’ why can’t the oh-so-clever Democrats just hire someone with the instinct to come up with their campaign? It’s not the campaign, it’s the person. Both campaigns were just fine. But Hillary can’t fake being a charismatic sleazeball any more than Trump can fake being a person that’s ever read a book without pictures. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057/87 "2016-12-09T02:49:44Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > Since forever. Coming up with winning campaign strategies is difficult, and Trump manged to trounce Hillary Clinton in spite of the entire Democratic party being behind her, and a large part of the Republican party opposing him. Winning the presidency of the US is something that only 43 other people have managed, it’s not some minor achievement. Hillary Clinton did a pretty good job of trouncing Hillary Clinton all on her own, although she certainly got some last minute help from FBI Director and [professional plot spoiler](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/02/04/how-did-top-secret-emails-end-up-on-hillary-clintons-server/?utm_term=.c2fbfb0b6666) James Comey, as well as inveterate dick-pic-tweet enthusiast and [newspaper headline writer favorite](http://images1.villagevoice.com/imager/u/745xauto/9041577/weinerpost.jpg) Anthony “Did I Do That…Again?” Wiener. Trump did his expert-in-assholishness best to level the playing field by running around [repeating quotes he read from his _Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, Central African Strongman Dictator Edition_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FPrJxTvgdQ&t=4m58s), but it turns out that many Americans fail to appreciate satire as performance art and look for the opportunity [to enjoy a successful bankruptcy or a few just as Trump has](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/jun/21/hillary-clinton/yep-donald-trumps-companies-have-declared-bankrupt/) without having to ‘read’ all that information or listen to ‘lectures’ from Trump University. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![jshore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@jshore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jshore)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057/88 "2016-12-09T03:12:39Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > **Bricker** started a [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=321995) some years ago that showed the difficulties of establishing left-wing bias. Yeah…Much like it is hard to show that a stinking pile of horseshit is a filet mignon, and for much the same reason. I’ve noticed the difference between liberal organizations that document media bias and conservative ones that document supposed media bias is the liberal ones tend to focus more on how the reporting differs from actual verifiable fact, whereas the conservative ones tend to focus on perceptions of bias because, say, the mean TV reporter did not give the same weight to the views of Monckton on climate change than they did to the National Academy of Science. And, really the media is biased toward sensationalism. It is pretty sucky at getting science, analysis, and fact right. And, it does a really poor job of reporting things when one side has much more fact and truth on their side than the other…which is why it is effectively biased toward someone like Trump and conservatives in general. As Krugman points out, even people like Paul Ryan get glowing coverage as being serious budget wonks with serious budget proposals because the media is too timid to say that his budget proposals were laughable. ---
**Author:** ![jshore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@jshore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jshore)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057/89 "2016-12-09T03:15:29Z")
And, of course, this is much the same reason why in places that really do place facts, logic, and science in high esteem, like universities, the SDMB, and Quora, the communities end up leaning left. As the saying goes, the facts tend to have a left-wing bias. I don’t think this was nearly so true a generation ago, but modern conservatism has pretty much shunned science, fact, and logic in favor of ideological purity. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057/90 "2016-12-09T03:23:10Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > …f the Democrats underestimated anything, it was the susceptibility of the general public to this sort of sleazy charisma. They may have forgotten why Bill Clinton got elected (he was intelligent, but that’s not why people voted for him). So, all they need to do is blend a candidate who has the progressive principles of Bernie Sanders and the sleazy greasy of a sociopath and then… Wait, that pretty much is Bill Clinton, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057/91 "2016-12-09T07:57:08Z")
[Trump’s approval rating lower than previous incoming presidents.](http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/08/politics/donald-trump-approval-ratings-pew-poll-transition/index.html) 41% favorable. Ouch. Sad. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057/92 "2016-12-09T09:25:10Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > “Facts” aren’t just limited to the big obvious things, they show up in thousands of little subtle cues as well. […] To say, “\*Newsweek \*is biased against Bush because they picked an ugly photo of him” sounds ridiculous, but to many people it struck an inner chord and they latched onto it as evidence that the media was prejudiced against Bush. The thing is that “little subtle cues” now seem to be swamping the “big obvious” facts with utter disregard for rational plausibility. It’s one thing to say **“_Newsweek_’s choice of an ugly cover photo of Bush indicates that they might be somewhat biased against him”**. It’s a whole different kettle of fish to extrapolate from that to **“…and therefore _Newsweek_ must be lying when they claim that Bush’s administration pushed for invading Iraq”**. We shouldn’t let our “inner chord” of personal feelings and suspicions about possible bias drown out an entire external orchestra of verifiably factual and evidentially substantiated statements. But nowadays, a common attitude among the right wing in particular seems to be that if you have reason to suspect a source may be even somewhat biased against your preferred worldview, you’re justified in discarding **anything whatsoever** they say as just a bunch of self-serving lies. This is a recipe for a permanent state of severe delusion. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057/93 "2016-12-09T09:28:45Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > [Trump’s approval rating lower than previous incoming presidents.](http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/08/politics/donald-trump-approval-ratings-pew-poll-transition/index.html) > > 41% favorable. Ouch. Sad. What that poll boils down to is Republicans and the man on the street are mostly happy with Trump and liberals and Democrats aren’t. It says nothing of any real substance as to the quality of the job Trump is doing as he prepares for the presidency. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057/94 "2016-12-09T09:35:59Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > What that poll boils down to is Republicans and the man on the street are mostly happy with Trump and liberals and Democrats aren’t. Even Republicans appear to be a lot less happy with Trump than they were with previous Republican, or even some Democratic, incoming presidents. In fact, [most Americans are seriously dissatisfied with Trump](http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/08/politics/donald-trump-approval-ratings-pew-poll-transition/index.html): > [@](#): > > That 41% approval rating is lower than President Barack Obama’s 72% in December 2008 and President George W. Bush’s 50% in January 2001 – in the wake of a disputed election. It’s also lower than President Bill Clinton’s 62% in January 1993 and President George H.W. Bush’s 65% in March 1989. […] > > Alongside negative approval ratings, Trump is also personally viewed unfavorably by 58% of Americans, while just 37% see him favorably. > > Sixty percent say they view Trump as patriotic, and 52% see him as a strong leader. But just 41% see him as honest and inspiring, while 37% see him as well-qualified, 31% view Trump as moral and 26% see Trump as a good role model. > > A majority of Americans – 54% – say Trump has done too little to distance himself from white nationalist groups, while 65% said they are very or somewhat concerned that his business ties conflict with the country’s best interests. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057/95 "2016-12-09T09:46:42Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > But nowadays, a common attitude among the right wing in particular seems to be that if you have reason to suspect a source may be even somewhat biased against your preferred worldview, you’re justified in discarding **anything whatsoever** they say as just a bunch of self-serving lies. Um, have you ever noticed what goes on around here anytime a conservative poster posts a cite or article from a right-wing news source? Even when the facts they contain are obvious and beyond reproach, the offending post will be dismissed out of hand. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057/96 "2016-12-09T09:55:45Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Um, have you ever noticed what goes on around here anytime a conservative poster posts a cite or article from a right-wing news source? Even when the facts they contain are obvious and beyond reproach, the offending post will be dismissed out of hand. :dubious: Cite? Nah, you’re not going to bother trying to support your assertion, because you _feel_ it’s true and that’s good enough for you. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057/97 "2016-12-09T09:56:36Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Even Republicans appear to be a lot less happy with Trump than they were with previous Republican, or even some Democratic, incoming presidents. In fact, [most Americans are seriously dissatisfied with Trump](http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/08/politics/donald-trump-approval-ratings-pew-poll-transition/index.html): Yeah, but like I said, that article and the poll itself boil down to little but a political divide along party lines. When 80% of Republicans are happy with Trump and 85% of Democrats are unhappy with him, you get approval ratings in the 40s when you average them out. Trump’s lower numbers compared to past presidents are mostly a reflection of how much more liberals dislike him than they’ve disliked Republican presidents-elect in the past, and the reason for that is that is obvious. Trump thumbs his nose at political correctness and he’s been much more outspoken (and plainspoken) in his opposition to many of the attitudes and policies that liberals insist upon. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057/98 "2016-12-09T10:04:51Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > :dubious: Cite? > > Nah, you’re not going to bother trying to support your assertion, because you _feel_ it’s true and that’s good enough for you. You have got to be kidding me! I can’t believe you have the gall to question this! It goes on around here all. the. time! But you’re right, I’m not going to bother going on a hunt for cites, but mostly because of a lack of unique keywords that would flush them out. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057/99 "2016-12-09T10:12:40Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Yeah, but like I said, that article and the poll itself boil down to little but a political divide along party lines. When 80% of Republicans are happy with Trump and 85% of Democrats are unhappy with him, you get approval ratings in the 40s when you average them out. But we also have only 37% of Americans who consider him well-qualified and 31% who consider him moral. That’s Republican dissatisfaction dragging down those numbers, not just Democratic opposition. [QUOTE=Starving Artist] Trump thumbs his nose at political correctness [/quote] Not to mention logic, facts, science and reason. You are right that liberals in general tend not to like that about him. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057/100 "2016-12-09T10:17:02Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > What that poll boils down to is Republicans and the man on the street are mostly happy with Trump and liberals and Democrats aren’t. “The man on the street” doesn’t include liberals and Democrats? I guess they’re all huddled away in their ivory towers, sneering down at the street-level Trump-supporting Real Americans. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-favorability-rating-is-on-the-rise-since-election-why/774057.md?page=6)