Gallup has put together a 50-state assessment of Donald Trump’s declining approval ratings, which the Washington Post summarizes here.
Are we to be comforted that only 17 states, including Arkansas, still have Trump in the plus column, with a favorable rating here of 50 to 54 percent? Trump’s approval rating in Arkansas is 10th highest, at 53 percent based on the Gallup averaging of daily polling over his presidency.
Are we to be comforted that this is a sharp drop, including in Arkansas, and that 47 states have lower approval ratings than the vote Trump received in 2016. (In Arkansas, almost 61 percent.)
It’s perhaps a comfort to know Trump puts so much stock in such things as ratings and crowd attendance. But he’s president. He’s in charge and his appointees are laying waste to public education, the environment, the justice system, gay rights, women’s rights, consumer protection against avaricious banks and lots more. If the election tomorrow, Trump still starts with a majority favorable rating in Arkansas against the unknown. Plug in a name the GOP machine can demonize and the record says Arkansas voters will lean Trump.
Not comforting.