Trump hits highest Gallup approval rating of his presidency

President Trump’s approval rating hit 49 percent in a new Gallup poll released Tuesday, his highest mark in that poll since he took office.

The poll, released on the eve of a likely Senate vote to acquit him on impeachment charges and at the outset of an election year, found 50 percent of those surveyed disapprove of Trump’s job performance. Just 1 percent of respondents said they had no opinion.

Trump’s previous high approval rating in the Gallup poll was 46 percent, a number he reached in May after former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation did not charge him with obstruction of justice or establish he conspired with Russia.

The boost in Tuesday’s poll is largely attributable to a surge in support for Trump from Republicans and independents. The poll found 94 percent of Republicans approve of Trump’s performance, up from 88 percent in early January.

Among independents, 42 percent said they approve of Trump, up from 37 percent in early January.

Seven percent of Democrats said they approve of Trump’s job performance, down from 10 percent in early January.

The poll surveyed 1,033 people and was conducted Jan. 16–29. It has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

Trump has struggled throughout his presidency to reach 50 percent approval in most polls, but Tuesday’s Gallup data caps what many in the White House viewed as a strong month. Trump ordered a strike that killed top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a move that gained positive marks in the Gallup poll after military tensions deescalated.

The president also signed a pair of trade deals with China and with Mexico and Canada, capping off months of negotiations in each case.

While Trump’s Senate trial took place during the latter half of January, it is expected to end Wednesday with his acquittal. The Gallup poll found 52 percent of Americans are in favor of acquitting Trump, compared to 46 percent who support convicting him and removing him from office.

The House in December impeached Trump along party lines for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress after Democrats alleged he used his office to get Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.