https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-supporters-have-his-back-poll-finds-1500436800?mod=e2tw
People in counties that propelled President Donald Trump’s election victory see him as the change agent needed to shake up political and economic systems that they said are stacked against them, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found.
The president’s job performance and his handling of the economy are viewed more favorably in these so-called Trump counties than in the rest of the nation, helping to overcome doubts some people have about the president’s personal qualities and some of his policy decisions.
The GOP president draws wide support in these counties for bargaining with employers to keep jobs in the U.S., with 75% of residents supporting those efforts and 14% opposing.
More than two-thirds of respondents in those counties back his signaling that he is willing to take action if North Korea goes further in developing long-range missiles and nuclear weapons, and a similar share backs his military response in April to Syria’s use of chemical weapons. A majority supports his push for a ban on entry into the U.S. residents of some countries.
In these counties, 50% said they approve of Mr. Trump’s job performance, compared with 46% who disapprove, the survey found. That is a stronger showing than the 40% in a nationwide Journal/NBC survey from last month who approved of Mr. Trump’s performance in office.
The survey underscored many of the themes that led to Mr. Trump’s surprising victory in November, most notably the resonance of his call to protect U.S. jobs and the unfavorable view that many voters took of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
The survey, conducted July 8-12, included 600 adults in some of the president’s strongest bastions: Counties that flipped from favoring former President Barack Obama, a Democrat, in 2012 to backing Mr. Trump in November, and counties in which Mr. Trump’s support in the November election surged at least 20 percentage points higher than GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney drew in 2012.
The interviews were conducted in 16 states: Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Approval of some of the president’s actions related to the economy and foreign policy in these counties have helped him overcome doubts about other actions. According to the poll, 42% in these counties disapproved of his firing of James Comey as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with 33% approving. Nearly half disapproved of Mr. Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate change accords, with about one-third approving of that action.
More than half disapprove of Mr. Trump’s push to replace the Affordable Care Act, and more than six in 10 disapprove of his use of Twitter .
“Without a doubt, Donald Trump’s personal style was part of his appeal in the 2016 campaign,” said Democratic pollster Fred Yang, who conducted the survey with Republican Bill McInturff. “But more and more it appears to be a distraction that is starting to hit a sour note with this base.”
Many poll respondents said Mr. Trump’s strongest attribute was that he isn’t a typical politician and is shaking things up in Washington. He is perceived as bringing the right kind of change by more than a two-to-one margin.
Asked how Mr. Trump may have fallen short of expectations, respondents most often cited the statement that “he keeps keep making personal attacks that set a bad example.’’
Views of Mrs. Clinton were unfavorable in the counties surveyed.
In those counties that backed Mr. Trump after supporting Mr. Obama four years earlier, Mrs. Clinton—whom the president continues to criticize now that he is in office—is viewed positively by 30% and negatively by 50%.
Among independents in all of the counties surveyed, Mrs. Clinton is viewed positively by 16% of adults. Meanwhile, some 41% of these same independent voters hold favorable views of Mrs. Clinton’s primary-election rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Mr. Sanders is viewed positively by 42% of respondents in all of the counties surveyed, about the same share as for Mr. Trump and well ahead of the 27% who view Mrs. Clinton favorably.
“It says that the Bernie Sanders—and whatever he represents, and if he’s part of a particular progressive group—has not somehow alienated this whole key group of Americans,” said Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who worked on the survey. “That sends a message to Democrats.”
In many ways, the survey shows that Mr. Trump’s election messaging still resonates with voters, Mr. Yang said.
About 70% of residents in the counties surveyed said they don’t feel confident that life for their children will be better than their own, and 55% said the nation’s political and economic systems are stacked against them.
Asked about Mr. Trump’s criticism of the media as “fake news,” a plurality of people in these countiessaid they opposed that kind of language. But for people who said they like Mr. Trump, support for his attacks on the media was 66 percentage points higher than those who opposed it.
Some of the president’s policies, particularly on trade and foreign affairs, have also united Republicans and Democrats in these counties.
“There are several elements of the Trump agenda, especially on the economy and foreign policy, where he has the bipartisan support his administration is currently missing” in Washington, Mr. Yang said.
The Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll was based on telephone interviews with 600 adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
People in counties that propelled President Donald Trump’s election victory see him as the change agent needed to shake up political and economic systems that they said are stacked against them, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found.
The president’s job performance and his handling of the economy are viewed more favorably in these so-called Trump counties than in the rest of the nation, helping to overcome doubts some people have about the president’s personal qualities and some of his policy decisions.
The GOP president draws wide support in these counties for bargaining with employers to keep jobs in the U.S., with 75% of residents supporting those efforts and 14% opposing.
More than two-thirds of respondents in those counties back his signaling that he is willing to take action if North Korea goes further in developing long-range missiles and nuclear weapons, and a similar share backs his military response in April to Syria’s use of chemical weapons. A majority supports his push for a ban on entry into the U.S. residents of some countries.
In these counties, 50% said they approve of Mr. Trump’s job performance, compared with 46% who disapprove, the survey found. That is a stronger showing than the 40% in a nationwide Journal/NBC survey from last month who approved of Mr. Trump’s performance in office.
The survey underscored many of the themes that led to Mr. Trump’s surprising victory in November, most notably the resonance of his call to protect U.S. jobs and the unfavorable view that many voters took of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
The survey, conducted July 8-12, included 600 adults in some of the president’s strongest bastions: Counties that flipped from favoring former President Barack Obama, a Democrat, in 2012 to backing Mr. Trump in November, and counties in which Mr. Trump’s support in the November election surged at least 20 percentage points higher than GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney drew in 2012.
The interviews were conducted in 16 states: Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Approval of some of the president’s actions related to the economy and foreign policy in these counties have helped him overcome doubts about other actions. According to the poll, 42% in these counties disapproved of his firing of James Comey as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with 33% approving. Nearly half disapproved of Mr. Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate change accords, with about one-third approving of that action.
More than half disapprove of Mr. Trump’s push to replace the Affordable Care Act, and more than six in 10 disapprove of his use of Twitter .
“Without a doubt, Donald Trump’s personal style was part of his appeal in the 2016 campaign,” said Democratic pollster Fred Yang, who conducted the survey with Republican Bill McInturff. “But more and more it appears to be a distraction that is starting to hit a sour note with this base.”
Many poll respondents said Mr. Trump’s strongest attribute was that he isn’t a typical politician and is shaking things up in Washington. He is perceived as bringing the right kind of change by more than a two-to-one margin.
Asked how Mr. Trump may have fallen short of expectations, respondents most often cited the statement that “he keeps keep making personal attacks that set a bad example.’’
Views of Mrs. Clinton were unfavorable in the counties surveyed.
In those counties that backed Mr. Trump after supporting Mr. Obama four years earlier, Mrs. Clinton—whom the president continues to criticize now that he is in office—is viewed positively by 30% and negatively by 50%.
Among independents in all of the counties surveyed, Mrs. Clinton is viewed positively by 16% of adults. Meanwhile, some 41% of these same independent voters hold favorable views of Mrs. Clinton’s primary-election rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Mr. Sanders is viewed positively by 42% of respondents in all of the counties surveyed, about the same share as for Mr. Trump and well ahead of the 27% who view Mrs. Clinton favorably.
“It says that the Bernie Sanders—and whatever he represents, and if he’s part of a particular progressive group—has not somehow alienated this whole key group of Americans,” said Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who worked on the survey. “That sends a message to Democrats.”
In many ways, the survey shows that Mr. Trump’s election messaging still resonates with voters, Mr. Yang said.
About 70% of residents in the counties surveyed said they don’t feel confident that life for their children will be better than their own, and 55% said the nation’s political and economic systems are stacked against them.
Asked about Mr. Trump’s criticism of the media as “fake news,” a plurality of people in these countiessaid they opposed that kind of language. But for people who said they like Mr. Trump, support for his attacks on the media was 66 percentage points higher than those who opposed it.
Some of the president’s policies, particularly on trade and foreign affairs, have also united Republicans and Democrats in these counties.
“There are several elements of the Trump agenda, especially on the economy and foreign policy, where he has the bipartisan support his administration is currently missing” in Washington, Mr. Yang said.
The Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll was based on telephone interviews with 600 adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
