President Trump’s job approval is not improving, the latest round up of polls by Real Clear Politics shows.
Almost 60 percent of those polled, the RCP average shows, disapprove of his overall performance. Trump’s worst number is on inflation. Almost 70 percent of those polled disapprove of his performance.
More than 60 percent disapprove of his performance on Iran and the economy.
As Congress goes, Democrats are outpolling Republicans by almost eight points.
The numbers portend a bad election in November for the GOP.
The Latest
RCP’s latest collection of polling data suggest that Trump’s breaking his promise not to enter any more foreign wars has cost him not only his credibility but also his popularity.
His overall job approval has worsened since last month: 58.9 percent disapprove of the overall job he’s doing, while just 39.5 percent approve.
A recent Economist/YouGov poll that ended yesterday put his disapproval rating at 63 percent.
But inflation, again, is his worst number: 69.2 percent disapprove against 27.4 percent who approve. A Fox News poll showed that 74 percent disapprove.
On Iran, 62.5 percent disapprove of what he’s doing, versus 32.6 percent who approve. Some polls on that subject far exceed the average. A Reuters/Ipsos survey that ended two days ago put his disapproval rating at 65 percent, while a Marquette poll in early September notched it at 69 percent.
The president doesn’t fare much better on the economy, which strongly suggests that Americans aren’t buying his line that they are living in a “Golden Age.”
Some 62.2 percent of those polled disapprove of how he’s handling the economy. Just 34.5 percent approve. Reuters/Ipsos, again ending September 20, reported 67-percent disapproval.
All those numbers have worsened since early August.
The rest of the RCP average, disapproval versus approval runs as follows:
Foreign Policy: 59.6 / 35.4
Russia/Ukraine: 58.8 / 34
Israel: 54.5 / 38.5
Immigration: 53.6 / 43.3
Crime: 50.7 / 44
Those numbers don’t bode well for the GOP in the congressional midterm elections.
In the generic congressional vote, the RCP average puts the Democrats ahead of the Republicans 50.3 percent to 42 percent.
Consumer Prices
The bellwether price of gas is rising rapidly, and will likely continue to do so. The nationwide average, AAA reports, is now $4.48 per gallon for regular. Premium is $5.36, while diesel is $6.53.
Those prices are driving up the cost of consumer products, notably food. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which calculates the change in the prices of average consumer goods, jumped 0.4 percent in August, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on September 11.
The CPI had risen 0.1 percent in July. In the last year, the “the all items index increased 3.4 percent before seasonal adjustment,” BLS reported:
The index for gasoline rose 3.9 percent in August, accounting for over one third of the monthly all items increase. The index for energy increased 2.1 percent over the month. The shelter index rose 0.3 percent in August after rising 0.1 percent in July. The index for food increased 0.1 percent over the month, as the index for food away from home increased 0.3 percent.
The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.3 percent after increasing 0.2 percent in July. Indexes that increased over the month include communication, lodging away from home, airline fares, education, and used cars and trucks.
The cost of medical care and car insurance dropped.
Still, “the all items index rose 3.4 percent for the 12 months ending August as it did for the 12 months ending July,” BLS continued:
The all items less food and energy index rose 2.4 percent over the year, following a 2.5-percent increase over the 12 months ending July. The energy index increased 16.3 percent for the 12 months ending August. The food index increased 2.7 percent over the last year.
In other words, driven by higher gas prices caused by Trump’s unconstitutional war in Iran, consumer prices are rising rapidly.
Granted, inflation is down to 3.4 percent from a high of 4.2 percent in May. But the prices began rising just after Trump attacked Iran on behalf of Israel. That attack broke a key campaign promise.
He Doesn’t Care
Trump’s take on the prices, notably gas, is this: Punishing Iran on behalf of Israel is worth it. And he’ll never apologize for what he’s done.
“So for you to pay a tiny little bit more for your gasoline, just remember you’re doing it so that a very evil country — a country, really, it’s the number one state sponsor of terror in the world — we don’t want to have them have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said last month:
So remember that when you have to pay a little bit more, you’re at $4. It’s okay. I mean, I’ll never apologize. I did the right thing.… You just have to remember that what we’re doing is a great service for the world. Not only for ourselves, for the world. And we’re really doing a great job. Our military is unbelievable. The blockade is unstoppable. It’s a wall of steel. The blockade is a wall of steel.
Trump’s no-apology speech reprised what he said in May. On the White House lawn about to board Marine One for his flight to Air Force One, Trump was unequivocal. A reporter asked how much Americans’ financial situation is motivating him to make a deal with Iran.
“Not even a little bit,” Trump replied:
The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran — they can’t have a nuclear weapon. I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing — we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all.
Another reporter asked whether what he said is true, that he really isn’t worried about how the war is affecting Americans.
Replied Trump:
The most important thing by far — including whether our stock market, which, by the way, is at an all-time high — but including whether or not our stock market goes up or down a little bit, the most important thing by far is Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Every American understands.
But Americans don’t understand, as Trump’s approval ratings — on every issue the RCP measures — well show.
And his party looks like it will pay the price on November 3.
