Blue-collar white Americans are abandoning Trump
Even President Trump's base has not been impressed with his performance lately.
Just 38 percent of voters approve of how Trump handles his job, a Quinnipiac University poll published Tuesday found. Among white voters without a college degree, who largely voted for Trump in 2016, 49 percent said they approved and 47 disapproved. While that approval rate is high compared to most other demographic groups, it's a significant drop from just last month, when the same group of voters approved of Trump's performance 57-36 percent.
The poll gives some hint of what may have caused the sudden drop: Most voters said Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin was a failure for the U.S., and a wide majority said it was a success for Russia. More than half — 54 percent of voters overall — say Trump was not acting in the "best interest" of the U.S., and 48 percent of white voters without college degrees agreed. The summit with Putin, combined with Trump's aggression toward NATO allies and the ongoing investigation into whether his campaign colluded with Russian interference in the 2016 election, have given Trump his lowest approval ratings since February.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Republicans overall still say they approve of the president, as do white evangelical Christian voters. But white men, who last month approved by a margin of 12 percentage points, are currently divided, with 49 percent approving and 47 percent disapproving.
The Quinnipiac poll was conducted July 18-23, surveying 1,177 voters reached by phone. There is a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points. See more results at Quinnipiac.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
-
'King's horses take free rein through London'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Is pop music now too reliant on gossip?
Talking Point Taylor Swift's new album has prompted a flurry of speculation over who she is referring to in her songs
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Nuclear near-misses
The Explainer From technical glitches to fateful split-second decisions, the world has come to the brink of nuclear war more times than you might think
By Rebecca Messina, The Week UK Published
-
Ukraine cheers House approval of military aid
Speed Read Following a lengthy struggle, the House has approved $95 billion in aid for Ukraine and Israel
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike
Speed Read The attack comes after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Peter Murrell: Sturgeon's husband charged over SNP 'embezzlement' claims
Speed Read SNP expresses 'shock' as former chief executive rearrested in long-running investigation into claims of mishandled campaign funds
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Mark Menzies: Tories investigate MP after 'bad people' cash claims
Speed Read Fylde MP will sit as an independent while party looks into allegations he misused campaign funds on medical expenses and blackmail pay-out
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Why Johnson won't just pass Ukraine aid
Speed Read The House Speaker could have sent $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine — but it would have split his caucus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump's first criminal trial starts with jury picks
Speed Read The former president faces charges related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published