President Donald Trump on Monday took to Twitter to brag about his new approval rating after hitting 49 percent in a new Gallup poll released Tuesday, his highest mark in that poll since he took office. However, he falsely claimed that his approval rating is 53 percent.
“My Approval Rating in the Republican Party = 95%, a record! Big Iowa win. Approval Rating overall = 53%, a new high,” Trump tweeted. “With our great Economy and other major successes, would be 20 points higher without the phony Witch Hunts and Hoaxes,” he added.
The poll, released on the eve of a likely Senate vote to acquit him on impeachment charges and at the outset of an election year, found 50 percent of those surveyed disapprove of Trump’s job performance. Just 1 percent of respondents said they had no opinion.
Trump’s previous high approval rating in the Gallup poll was 46 percent, a number he reached in May after former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation did not charge him with obstruction of justice or establish he conspired with Russia.
The boost in Tuesday’s poll is largely attributable to a surge in support for Trump from Republicans. The poll found 94 percent of Republicans approve of Trump’s performance, up from 88 percent in early January.
Among independents, 42 percent said they approve of Trump, up from 37 percent in early January.
Seven percent of Democrats said they approve of Trump’s job performance, down from 10 percent in early January.
The poll surveyed 1,033 people and was conducted Jan. 16–29. It has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
Trump has struggled throughout his presidency to reach 50 percent approval in most polls, but Tuesday’s Gallup data caps what many in the White House viewed as a strong month.
The House in December impeached Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress after Democrats alleged he used his office to get Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.
My Approval Rating in the Republican Party = 95%, a record! Big Iowa win. Approval Rating overall = 53%, a new high. With our great Economy and other major successes, would be 20 points higher without the phony Witch Hunts and Hoaxes???
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 4, 2020