Survey Says is a weekly collection rounding up a very powerful polling tendencies or knowledge factors it’s essential to find out about, plus a vibe verify on a development that’s driving politics.
Trump within the tank
Donald Trump is by some means solely six months into his second presidency but when it feels prefer it’s torturously longer, you’re not alone. Individuals are souring on him rapidly.
Gallup finds Trump along with his lowest approval score since retaking the White Home in January. Simply 37% of Individuals approve of the way in which he’s dealt with his job as president. That’s down from a excessive of 47% in January, and it brings him very shut to the numbers he exited the White Home with in January 2021, when 34% authorized of him.
Independents are primarily those steering his approval score south. Solely 29% approve of the way in which he’s dealing with the presidency, down from 36% in June.
Republicans and Democrats largely haven’t modified their minds about him. Eighty-nine % of Republicans approve of him, barely decrease than his excessive of 93% in February. In the meantime, 2% of Democrats approve, which is down from a excessive of 6% in January.
Altogether, Trump’s poor approval score is historic. Actually. Amongst presidents who first took workplace after World Conflict II, none have had a decrease common approval score within the second quarter of their second time period, which, for Trump, spans April 20 to July 19 of this 12 months.
Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and Invoice Clinton every loved majority approval on common within the second quarter of their second phrases. Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Richard Nixon landed within the high-to-mid-40s. Trump, although? Simply 40%.
In reality, the one president who bought a worse score in his second quarter was … Trump, in his first time period. In 2017, he scored simply 39% approval on common within the second quarter of that time period.
The explanation for this souring public sentiment seems to be his falling numbers throughout many key points. Since February, he has fallen 8 share factors on his dealing with of immigration, 6 factors on overseas commerce, 4 factors on overseas affairs, and 4 factors on the scenario between Israelis and Palestinians. Since March, he’s slipped 8 factors on his dealing with of the scenario in Ukraine and a stunning 14 factors on his method to the federal price range.
Most damning for him, although, is his grade on inflation. Knowledge from YouGov finds Trump along with his worst approval on that concern since retaking workplace in January. Only one in 3 Individuals approves of his dealing with of inflation, whereas 61% disapprove, in response to the newest polling. That makes for a internet approval score of -29 factors. In January, he was +6 factors on the problem.
That discovering is backed up by a new ballot from the famed Marquette College Legislation College, which finds Trump 30 factors underwater on dealing with inflation. Worse for him, inflation is a very powerful concern to Individuals, with 1 in 3 flagging it as the highest drawback.
In fact, there could also be one other drawback that’s inflicting his approval to tumble …
Epstein scandal beneficial properties much more steam
Trump’s greatest unforced error but would possibly simply be his administration’s bungled dealing with of the case recordsdata round convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein, certainly one of Trump’s former buddies. Individuals are mad in regards to the administration’s dealing with of the recordsdata, however a deluge of latest polling reveals they assume they’ve a good suggestion of why the administration is being cagey.
Fifty-three % of Individuals assume the administration hasn’t launched the recordsdata as a result of Trump is known as in them, in response to YouGov. The agency additionally finds that 61% assume Trump is known as within the Epstein recordsdata. Each outcomes have been launched on Thursday, the day after The Wall Avenue Journal reported that the Justice Division briefed Trump about his title showing “a number of occasions” within the recordsdata.
Each polls discover that Republicans will not be outright defending Trump, both. In each, round 1 in 3 Republicans solutions “unsure” as an alternative of responding “sure” or “no,” signaling discomfort with the problem. Which is sensible. The Republican base has lengthy hunted for the federal government to launch its recordsdata on Epstein—and now it might hurt their principal man? Speak about pleasant hearth.
The explanation for that squeamishness? Effectively, 49% of Republicans assume Trump had at the very least a bit of data of Epstein’s crimes earlier than any allegations grew to become public, in response to a July 18 ballot from YouGov. Solely 21% say he knew nothing.
That mentioned, it may be that Democrats are extra keen to leap on this scandal and assume they know greater than they do. In all three of those polls, solely 11-12% of Democrats answered “unsure,” and in all three, independents’ “unsure” figures have been way more intently aligned with Republicans’.
Both means, it’s notable that Republicans aren’t additionally assuming they know extra and that Trump is clear within the scandal.
One thing else to remember: Regardless of two bombshell stories from The Wall Avenue Journal, one hitting on July 17 and the opposite this previous Wednesday, the share of Individuals who assume Trump is concerned in Epstein’s crimes is excessive—however largely unchanged since early June. Round 45% of Individuals assume Trump was concerned.
Perhaps if the Justice Division finally ends up folding and releasing extra recordsdata, that quantity will improve. And perhaps, simply perhaps, that’s why we haven’t seen them.
Is there a landfill in your yard?
Three months in the past, Trump’s head of the Environmental Safety Company, Lee Zeldin, visited a hazardous landfill close to St. Louis, the place an underground rubbish hearth burns towards an previous cache of nuclear waste. After this, he moved to hurry up cleanup.
The Trump administration is weakening laws round landfill emissions, even when these emissions comprise poisonous chemical substances like benzene, which may cause leukemia and different cancers.
So that you is perhaps questioning … how shut is the closest landfill? Effectively, Day by day Kos has constructed a software for that.
Utilizing the most up-to-date knowledge from the Environmental Safety Company, we plotted out on the map under practically each energetic and shuttered municipal solid-waste landfill in america and its territories. You’ll additionally discover every web site’s tonnage of waste. Some websites needed to be excluded from the map because of the authorities not offering high-quality location knowledge or the location’s waste tonnage.
However, additional down, you’ll discover a searchable desk that has all 2,641 landfills within the U.S., together with the state, metropolis, and county for every one.
Any updates?
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Trump desires to make two sports activities groups—the NFL’s Washington Commanders and the MLB’s Cleveland Guardians—revert to their previous, racist names. However Individuals assume he’s overstepping: Roughly two-thirds say it’s unacceptable for him to make such a requirement, whereas solely 15% assume it’s acceptable, in response to YouGov. Even a plurality of Republicans (38%) say it’s unacceptable.
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Certain, defunding public media could damage the very rural Individuals who overwhelmingly voted Trump into workplace final 12 months, however it’s additionally broadly unpopular. Solely 27% of Individuals wish to see federal funding for public broadcasting minimize or eradicated, in response to the newest YouGov/The Economist ballot. In the meantime, 33% need funding to be stored the identical, and 28% need it to be elevated.
Vibe verify
For all the eye that cryptocurrency will get, together with from the president, you’d anticipate for lots of people to personal it. But solely 14% of American adults personal any, in response to Gallup. These largely more likely to personal it are males ages 18 to 49 (25% personal some) and people in households making $90,000 or extra a 12 months (19% personal it).
However exterior of these of us, the overwhelming majority of Individuals present no urge for food to hop on the blockchain. A robust majority (60%) have little interest in ever shopping for crypto, and one other 17% are intrigued however haven’t any intentions of shopping for it anytime quickly.
