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Wednesday, March 27, 2024 | Back issues
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Trump’s Approval Rating Jumped 10 Points in January, Poll Finds

President Donald Trump woke up to some good news Wednesday: a new poll showing a significant gain in his approval rating, support for the Republican tax cuts and the GOP's chances on the generic congressional ballot. 

(CN) – President Donald Trump woke up to some good news Wednesday: a new poll showing a significant gain in his approval rating, support for the Republican tax cuts and the GOP's chances on the generic congressional ballot.

A Monmouth University poll found that 42 percent of Americans approve of how Trump is handling the job, compared to December when the president was polling at 32 percent.

The poll results are similar to other findings, with a Fox News poll showing a jump in his approval rating from 38 percent to 45 percent among registered voters. A recently released CNN poll also shows the president’s approval rating increased from 35 percent in December to 40 percent in January.

The president, however, still holds onto a high disapproval rating at 50 percent. In last month’s poll, Monmouth reported his disapproval number at 56 percent. While slightly improved, Trump still remains an unpopular president.

Despite the historically low approval ratings, support for the Republican “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” has dramatically increased, according to Monmouth. Forty-four percent of respondents said they approve of the tax reform, a huge jump from December when only 26 percent said they approved.

While approval for the tax cuts has risen, most Americans still think they will have to pay more taxes due to the reforms. Of those polled, 36 percent said they think their taxes will increase under the new plan;  32 percent believe they will pay the same and just 24 percent think they’ll pay less.

"The president devoted a significant amount of the State of the Union address touting a growing economy and his new tax plan,” Patrick Murry, Monmouth polling director said. “While there is still some way to go to really win over the public, it looks like the needle has moved in the Republicans' direction since passage of the tax bill."

The poll also found improved support for Republicans in the generic congressional ballot.

When asked who they would likely vote for if the House election was held today, 47 percent said they likely vote for the Democratic candidate in their district as opposed to 45 percent who said they would likely vote Republican. That result is a giant swing from December, when Democrats held a 51 to 36 percent advantage over Republicans.

Murray warns not to infer possible election results from polls far out from the election, however.

"The generic congressional ballot is prone to bouncing around for a bit until the campaign really gets underway later this year,” Murray said. “But Democrats who counted on riding public hostility toward the tax bill to retake the House may have to rethink that strategy.”

Categories / National, Politics

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