The Mueller report's so-called exoneration did nothing for Trump's approval rating

(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

published 18 April 2019

President Trump is already satisfied with the Mueller report he got three weeks ago. Maybe he shouldn't be.

When Attorney General William Barr delivered his initial findings from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe in late March, Trump was quick to spin it as "total and complete exoneration." Yet Trump's conclusion — which isn't true, by the way — didn't really change how Americans felt about him.

After a low point during the government shutdown, Trump's approval ratings have hovered around 42 percent, per FiveThirtyEight's ongoing conglomeration of several polls. In fact, Trump saw a 42.1 percent approval rating on March 24, the day Barr released his infamous report findings. But instead of convincing the public of no collusion like Trump had hoped, it seems Barr's findings did absolutely nothing. On Thursday, as Congress is scheduled to receive the whole redacted Mueller report, Trump is at a solid 42 percent.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

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