With Donald Trump as president, Republicans in the United States are more satisifed than they’ve been in about a decade.
According to a poll released Monday by Gallup, 61 per cent of Republicans in America are satisfied with how things are going with the country, and one in four are “very satisfied.” That’s the highest level of satisfaction among the political party’s supporters reported since February 2007.
READ MORE: Fact check — Donald Trump claims Barack Obama’s approval rating was almost the same
Unsurprisingly, the amount of satisfaction is significantly lower among Democrats at seven per cent, with less than one per cent saying they are “very satisfied.”
WATCH: ‘I am the least racist person you’ve ever interviewed,’ Trump tells reporters
Overall, about 29 per cent of Americans are satisfied with the country, and nine per cent are “very satisfied.” On the flip-side, 69 per cent of Americans are dissatisfied.
Gallup, which conducts this satisfaction poll regularly, explained that the level of satisfaction among Republicans is a “major turnaround” for the president in wake of his tax reform victory. The higher numbers come months after Republican satisfaction levels hit the lowest point in October at 38 per cent.
WATCH: Lindsey Graham makes first comments since Trump’s reported ‘shithole’ comment about African countries
“Trump will be addressing a particularly energized Republican rank and file in his State of the Union address after a rocky year when they weren’t so satisfied with the nation’s direction,” the poll’s news release reads.
The president’s State of the Union address is scheduled for Jan. 30, but many Democratic lawmakers say they will boycott the event in protest.
READ MORE: Donald Trump supporters’ faith seems to be unshaken
Among them is Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who said Friday that she will not attend the address, following the president’s racially charged comments on immigrants.
“Why would I take my time to go and sit and listen to a liar?” she said, during an interview on MSNBC. “He does not deserve my attention.”
WATCH: ‘We’re just getting started,’ Donald Trump hails 2017, looks forward to New Year
Job approval rating
Controversies over Trump’s handling of race relations and immigration, as well as questions over his mental stability, have dominated much of the conversation so far this year. But according to Real Clear Politics, a website that tracks all major polls on the president’s job performance, his approval rating has remained relatively the same since December 2017.
READ MORE: 7 important storylines from Trump’s first year in office
Trump’s job approval rating currently sits at 39.2 per cent, while about 55.9 per cent disapprove of this job performance. That’s similar to the end of December, when Trump’s average approval rating among all polls was 40 per cent, and his average disapproval rating was 55.6 per cent.
WATCH: Is Donald Trump still fit to lead?
This Gallup poll was conducted via telephone between Jan. 2-7, 2018, with a random sample of 1,024 adults. It is considered accurate plus or minus 4 percentage points.
- Alberta to overhaul municipal rules to include sweeping new powers, municipal political parties
- Norad looking to NATO to help detect threats over the Arctic, chief says
- Grocery code: How Ottawa has tried to get Loblaw, Walmart on board
- Canada, U.S., U.K. lay additional sanctions on Iran over attack on Israel
Comments