When the late Mayor of New York, Ed Koch, navigated through the city, he often asked the citizens, ‘How’m I doin’?’ Now, imagine asking a similar question about President Donald Trump. The consensus of many appears to be that he’s doing rather well. Despite a brief dip following the declaration of his ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs in April, Trump’s job approval rating has bounced back and now teeters just below the halfway mark.
This rating puts him on a comparable level at this stage in their second tenures to previous leaders like Barack Obama and George W. Bush. It’s also a significant improvement on his own previous approval ratings from his first term. Though a handful of his chosen appointees have raised eyebrows, the distinctive manner in which Trump communicates, characterized by frequent use of ALL CAPS, has proven to be surprisingly palatable to many.
This is testament to the ongoing democratization of political communication, where language once considered as crude can now be seen as acceptable to a majority. The unconventional selections for high-ranking positions too can be viewed as strategic when one understands Trump’s desire to effect change in mass social behavior rather than engaging in organizational tinkering.
He was not wrong in flagging that the Army and Navy experienced recruitment shortfalls of up to 25% in fiscal years 2022 and 2023. The Army, however, significantly upped its recruitment target from 55,000 to 61,000 and remarkably achieved it in May – a full four months earlier than anticipated. This seems more than just coincidence. Trump’s unfiltered dialogue seems to have contributed to this success.
Turning to economic spheres, Trump’s affection for tariffs and intention to curtail trade interchanges with China have been far from covert. And it appears his rhetoric has had noteworthy impacts. This month, news surfaced that China’s exports to the U.S. in May have plummeted to the lowest point since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in February 2020.
What this suggests is that not only a number of American business entities but also Chinese establishments have reoriented their decision-making processes based on the Trump narrative. This assertion is further backed by the robust job growth in the U.S. in May, when the employment figures rose by a surprising 139,000, even with a downsizing of federal jobs by 60,000 since the start of the year.
This achievement becomes even more substantial when considering the estimated decrease of foreign-born workers in the labor market, a figure believed to range from 773,000 to 1 million since March. A concept that is becoming popular is ‘self-deportation’, and it seems to be in response to recent occurrences in Los Angeles.
There, amidst the chaos caused by ongoing rioting, which was accommodated by the city’s ‘sanctuary’ mayor, Trump decided to assume control of the California National Guard, also deploying Marines to manage the situation. He rightfully wielded this authority in response to potential impediments to federal law enforcement. The parameters for this action were clarified by the Supreme Court in 2012 when it emphasized that federal immigration laws take precedence over any contrary state laws.
From a public perspective, there’s little ambiguity as to who they believe is right. Trump’s policies have presented a vivid alternative to those proposed by the Democrats over the last eight years, and it appears that the majority of voters are appreciative of his efforts. Similarly, voters have cast doubt on assertions that Joe Biden is fully functional and question whether the Los Angeles riots can realistically be categorised as ‘predominantly peaceful’ or ‘largely peaceful’.
This isn’t the first time a U.S. president has deployed federal troops to uphold federal law over states’ resistance: Dwight Eisenhower in 1957 and Lyndon Johnson in 1965 both exercised this right in Arkansas and Alabama respectively, against Democratic governors. These governors were defying federal law for causes that, after ten years of introspection, most voters ended up rejecting.
There’s a striking parallel in today’s scenario, where California Democrats are similarly resisting federal law, this time for reasons that voters, after a similar decade of reflection, appear determined to reject. Regarding the perspective of the immigrants in question, no concrete data or polls exist since individuals in such establishments are hesitant to participate in surveys.
Nevertheless, the employment statistics give us a glimpse into their mindset. It appears that ‘self-deportation’, previously an unimaginable option for many immigrants, is now emerging as a feasible pathway, possibly even more attractive than facing legal deportation.
So, reverting back to our initial question — ‘How’s Trump doin’?’ — the answer, it seems, might be more favorable than his detractors might assume. Trump’s political journey, his policies, and the impact on his followers, show that he has managed to sustain his leadership with an evolving approach, accepting and overcoming challenges from all quarters.
The post The Formidable Favorability: A Study of Trump’s Approval Ratings appeared first on Real News Now.
About Author
