Disapproval of Trump coronavirus response jumps to 60 percent amid surge: poll

Sixty percent of Americans disapprove of President Trump’s handling of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as COVID-19 cases continue to spike across the country, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

The survey released Friday found that 38 percent of Americans approve of the president’s handling of the pandemic, down from 46 percent who said the same in May and 51 percent of respondents in March. 

The president’s disapproval rating on his handling of the pandemic is up from 53 percent in May and 45 percent in March. 

Over half of survey respondents, 52 percent, disapprove “strongly” of the president’s leadership amid the outbreak, marking an increase from 36 percent in March.

The poll also found that Trump’s ratings on his management of the pandemic have dipped among groups that have been his strongest supporters.

Among white evangelical protestants, 68 percent approved of Trump’s handling of the pandemic, a 16-point drop, according to The Washington Post. Fifty-six percent of white men without college degrees agreed, in addition to 48 percent of rural residents.

Among political independents, 39 percent approve of the president’s handling of the outbreak. Just 4 percent of Democrats said they approve, and 79 percent of Republicans agreed.

The majority of survey respondents also said that they do not trust what Trump says publicly about the outbreak. More than 6 in 10 said that they do not trust what the president says, which includes 2 in 3 political independents and approximately 3 in 10 Republicans.  

Additionally, the poll released Friday found that 63 percent of respondents said it is more important to control the spread of the pandemic, even at the expense of the economy, up from 57 percent in the May survey.

Eighty percent of Americans said that they are wearing a mask in public some or all of the time. That number spiked to 96 percent among Democrats in the survey. Seventy-six percent of independents said the same, along with 66 percent of Republicans. 

The poll comes as the nationwide debate about face masks intensifies, with several state governors, including Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R), issuing orders requiring citizens to wear masks in public.  

However, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) on Thursday sued Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) to block her citywide mask mandate. 

“This lawsuit is on behalf of the Atlanta business owners and their hardworking employees who are struggling to survive during these difficult times,” Kemp said in a statement Thursday.

“These men and women are doing their very best to put food on the table for their families while local elected officials shutter businesses and undermine economic growth.”

The president last week wore a face mask during his visit to Walter Reed hospital, marking the first time he has worn a face covering publicly in front of cameras. 

The Post-ABC poll was conducted July 12-15 among a sample of 1,006 adults. Seventy-five percent of interviews were conducted by cellphone, and 25 percent were conducted on landline. The margin of error for the poll is 3.5 percentage points.