After a bumpy couple of weeks, approval of President Trump’s handling of the Chinese Virus has been on the rise according to two new polls. A new Ipsos/ABC poll released Friday shows 55 percent of Americans approve of the president’s response with 43 percent disapproving. A similar Harris poll found 56 percent approval and 44 percent disapproval.
Just a week ago the Ipsos numbers were essentially reversed with approval hovering in the low 40s. In the early days of the Chinese Virus crisis, Trump was criticized for sending confusing messages about the potential containment of the virus, seeming at times to downplay the threat. But not long after naming Vice President Mike Pence to lead the team battling the virus, the administration started to find its footing.
In what has become a daily ritual, the president appears at a press conference flanked by Pence and his team of doctors and officials. Trump makes some general remarks about the overall approach to the virus, answers a few questions and then wisely leaves to allow the experts to explain the federal government’s response.
Doctors Deborah Birx and Anthony Fauci have become in many ways the faces of the White House response team. Both are well respected on both sides of the aisle and trusted by the American people. Their medical expertise has replaced Trump’s hunches about the virus and according to the new polling, voters are substantially happier with the new situation.
In addition to the White House measures, the Senate is fast-tracking a 1 trillion dollar stimulus package that could put as much $1,200 in the hands of most taxpayers. President Trump supports the measure, as well as stimulus for large and small companies. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell seems confident in the passage of the resolution.
It’s not just in Washington DC and in polling that the president is getting good news. He has also worked in concert with Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York and Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, two of the states hardest hit, earning praise of his handling of the crisis from both Democrats.
What is starting to become clear is that Trump’s re-election prospects are now tied directly to how his administration handles this pandemic. It is the only story. Chinese virus dominates news coverage so much that Joe Biden basically won the Democratic primary on Tuesday this week and nobody even noticed.
A month ago the 2020 election looked to be a referendum on the Trump economy. Now all of the gains in the stock market under his administration have been wiped out and unemployment is spiking as companies shut down. From the look of the new polling, the American people don’t seem to blame Trump for this massive economic shift and have a new sense of faith in him, for now.
As everyone has experienced over the displacements of the past week, things change fast in the time of the virus. But right now the president’s approach is working, at least in the eyes of the voters who will decide his presidency’s ultimate fate.
