While Democrats scramble to publish the results of the Iowa caucuses, which have still not been released more than 12 hours after the caucuses began, President Trump is seeing a burst of momentum.
The latest Gallup poll shows some stunningly positive numbers for the president. His job approval is at 49 percent, which is the highest to date during his first term in office. The rise in President Trump’s approval can be attributed to increases in both Republican and Independent support. He sees a whopping 94 percent approval among GOP voters, and 42 percent from Independents; these numbers are up 6 and 5 points from early January, respectively.
Gallup: Trump job approval soars eight net points to 49-50, the best approval of his entire presidency.
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) February 4, 2020
If this (and the economy) holds, Trump will win reelection. pic.twitter.com/OxFVGIL2Ch
This round of polling was conducted in the middle of the Senate’s impeachment trial, and found that 52 percent of those surveyed favor acquittal, while 46 were in favor of conviction. These numbers are favorable, to say the least, especially given the unfair trial in Speaker Pelosi’s chamber. Americans are, indeed, done with the Democrats’ sham of a trial that has been proven to be entirely political and driven by disagreement with the president.
In addition to overall approval and favorability of acquittal, President Trump’s approval on other issues also increased. From the Gallup poll (emphasis mine):
- The recent military action in Iran. More Americans in the new poll approve (53%) than disapprove (45%) of the U.S. military action that resulted in the death of a leading Iranian military general. Iran retaliated but, despite fears of escalation, no further military action has been taken by either side.
- Foreign trade. During the poll's field period, Trump also signed the United States-Mexico-Canada trade deal to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement.
- The economy. Americans' confidence in the economy is higher than at any point in the past two decades. Similarly, national satisfaction is the highest in nearly 15 years.
Sixty-three percent of Americans now approve of the way Trump is handling the economy, up six points from the prior reading in November. It is the highest economic approval rating not only for Trump, but for any president since George W. Bush enjoyed stratospheric job approval ratings in the first few months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Trump's ratings for handling foreign affairs (47%) and foreign trade (50%) are also his best to date.
The GOP also sees some favorable numbers in this Gallup survey:
As Trump's job approval rating has improved, so has the image of the Republican Party. Now, 51% of Americans view the Republican Party favorably, up from 43% in September. It is the first time GOP favorability has exceeded 50% since 2005.
Meanwhile, 45% of Americans have a positive opinion of the Democratic Party, a slight dip from 48% in September.
Additionally, the poll finds 48% of Americans identifying as Republicans or leaning toward that party, compared with 44% Democratic identification or leaning. Recent Gallup polls had shown a fairly even partisan distribution, after the Democratic Party held advantages for much of 2019.
These numbers are positive for President Trump and the Republican Party, to say the least. President Trump is at his best when carrying out campaign promises, and these numbers prove that. Democrats also deserve credit for these positive numbers, though; Speaker Pelosi, Rep. Adam Schiff, Rep. Jerry Nadler, Sen. Chuck Schumer and the entire impeachment team have successfully managed to let the American people see right through their highly-political, non-substantive impeachment effort.