Trump’s low approval ratings

According to the 538 aggregate poll, Trump’s approval rating as of 11/29/2018 stands at 42.4 percent. Overall, this is a not that great of news, but there is still hope Trump can win by retaining most or all of the states he won in 2016. One thing to note, in spite of no promised wall, Trump’s approval ratings have not fallen, suggesting that his reelection hopes do not hinge on the wall contrary to a common narrative that is does. This means Trump can focus on easier and more fruitful tasks such as the economy and foreign relations, where he really excels. The Mueller probe is likely a nothing-burger, but it keeps generating a trickle of negative press that probably over the long-run hurts the President. I suspect if there are any findings, it will be released to coincide with the reelection, in order to maximize its impact. The FBI is that corrupt and partisan.

Also, Reagan, Clinton, and Obama all polled as poorly 680 days into their respective presidencies as Trump is now, although by their the third and fourth years, things picked up. I don’t however see such a recovery for Trump. Unless there is some sort of war that boosts nationalistic sentiment similar to Bush after 911, I think Trump’s approval rating will remain below 47% for the remainder of his first term. Given how low unemployment is, Trump deserves more credit for the economy than he’s getting. He needs to find more effective ways of conveying to voters his economic successes.