Democrats and the press keep describing Trump as a hugely divisive figure. But the polls show that his approval is starting to line up with previous presidents.
What's more, Trump's low numbers are almost entirely because Democrats are universally opposed to him.
To see this effect, look at the IBD/TIPP polls from the same month in the Trump and Obama administrations.
In October 2010, Obama had an approval rating of 42%. Trump's approval in the October 2018 IBD/TIPP poll is 40%.
Naturally, Democrats gave Obama a sky-high approval ratings, as do Republicans for Trump.
Among independents, there's almost no difference — Trump's approval is 33%, Obama's was 34%.
But there's a huge gap in how Democrats and Republicans viewed their political opponents.
At this point in Obama's presidency, 10% of Republicans approved of the job Obama was doing. And that was after his massive failed stimulus, his signing of ObamaCare and Dodd-Frank, and other policies highly antagonistic to Republicans.
Trump, on the other hand, gets approval from a mere 5% of Democrats. That's where it's been throughout Trump's presidency.
Trump's Approval Rating Is Better Than You Think
What's more, Trump's low numbers are almost entirely because Democrats are universally opposed to him.
To see this effect, look at the IBD/TIPP polls from the same month in the Trump and Obama administrations.
In October 2010, Obama had an approval rating of 42%. Trump's approval in the October 2018 IBD/TIPP poll is 40%.
Naturally, Democrats gave Obama a sky-high approval ratings, as do Republicans for Trump.
Among independents, there's almost no difference — Trump's approval is 33%, Obama's was 34%.
But there's a huge gap in how Democrats and Republicans viewed their political opponents.
At this point in Obama's presidency, 10% of Republicans approved of the job Obama was doing. And that was after his massive failed stimulus, his signing of ObamaCare and Dodd-Frank, and other policies highly antagonistic to Republicans.
Trump, on the other hand, gets approval from a mere 5% of Democrats. That's where it's been throughout Trump's presidency.
Trump's Approval Rating Is Better Than You Think