Many of the world’s leaders have seen their approval ratings dramatically jump during the coronavirus outbreak — but not President Donald Trump.
An analysis of polling results by Vox revealed that any early bump the president received for his handling of the pandemic has usually been small and short-lived.
A Vox comparison of Morning Consult weekly approval ratings from March 11 and April 14 shows:
- Trump — 42% to 45%
- French President Emmanuel Macron — 26% to 36%
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel — 40% to 54%
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — 42% to 58%
- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison — 34% to 59%
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson — 46% to 64%
- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — 33% to 30%
In addition, the ruling liberal party in South Korea won a resounding victory in that nation’s parliamentary elections this month. The nation had the highest turnout in nearly three decades despite the coronavirus outbreak.
Meanwhile, Vox asked why has Trump’s approval bump been so small by comparison to other world leaders. One theory floated is that the administration's response to the outbreak has dragged down his popularity.
And a poll by the Pew Research Center this month revealed 65% said the president’s response to the threat of the coronavirus in the U.S. was too slow.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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