Majority of Republican Voters Actually Believe Trump Is Uniting the Country
In a world where the sky is green and the grass is blue live about 60% of Republican voters.
With the Trump administration declaring a propaganda war against black athletes and rich, mostly white NFL owners, six in 10 Republican voters think the president is “making strides toward unity,” according to a new Washington Post–ABC News poll. (Note: The poll was conducted Sept. 18–21, just before Trump made his now infamous “son–of–a–bitch” comment in Alabama.)
The good news is that roughly two–thirds of Americans say Trump is dividing the country. But still, who are these Republican voters and what is this unity of which they speak?
The only argument that makes sense—at least to me—is that by unity, these Republican voters actually are referring to Trump’s base, which as the polls show, remain solidly united behind this administration despite its ongoing insanity. (If you have other ideas of what this “unity” looks like, please share.)
The poll also showed that Trump’s approval is stabilizing at about 39%. This number has remained roughly consistent within a few percentage points since Trump took office eight months ago. His base seems to remain solid no matter what he does.
Trump got poor ratings, however, on three of his administration’s key policy issues: immigration, the economy, and belligerent foreign policy, particularly regarding North Korea.
“On immigration, 62 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump’s performance, including 51 percent ‘strongly’ disapproving,” the Post reported. This comes just after Trump decided to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA.
On the economy, which Trump loves to brag about while taking credit for policies established during the previous administration, only 43% of those polled approve of Trump’s handling of this key issue. Just under half (49%) disapprove.
And on the biggest—and most dangerous—crisis currently facing this administration, North Korea, the American public simply does not trust Trump to handle it appropriately. With Trump continuing to threaten to obliterate North Korea with “fire and fury,” and with North Korea retaliating in the war of words by claiming an attack on the U.S. mainland is “inevitable,” two–thirds of Americans oppose a preemptive U.S. strike, which would provoke certain calamity in South Korea and possibly the U.S., according to the newspaper.
Only 37% of those polled—again, probably Trump’s base—trust the president to handle the North Korean situation. On the other hand, 72% said they trust military leaders to handle it. Most Republican voters buck this trend, with 76% saying they trust Trump to act responsibly in handling the North Korea situation a “great deal” or a “good amount.”
Which raises the question: What world are they living in?