Poll: Trump’s approval rating edged higher during week of Putin summit

President Trump’s approval rating rose slightly last week around the time of his summit in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.

The approval increase — to 45 percent from 44 percent last month — was coupled with a slight decrease in disapproval, from 53 percent in June to 52 percent last week.

The poll surveyed 900 registered voters from July 15-18, meaning polling began as Trump prepared to sit down with Putin in the Finnish capital for their highly anticipated summit.

While Trump’s approval remained the lowest of any modern president, his support among Republicans is now at 88 percent — a record high for his presidency, according to the poll.

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The Helsinki summit and a subsequent joint press conference with Putin sparked days of criticism after Trump publicly questioned the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election.

Facing pressure from Republican lawmakers and political allies, Trump reversed course after he returned to Washington, saying he misspoke when he said that he did not see a reason why Russia would meddle in U.S. affairs.

Instead, he said he meant to say he did not see a reason why Russia “wouldn’t” interfere in American elections.

The Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found that 26 percent of voters approve of Trump’s handling of U.S.-Russia relations, compared with 51 percent who disapprove.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.