Talk radio callers give President Trump high marks on his first year in office, in spite of low poll numbers everywhere else

 

The anniversary of President Donald Trump’s inauguration is tomorrow, and the report cards will stream in. We are already seeing polling recaps that show the Trump’s poll numbers lagging far behind those of his modern predecessors, with favorable numbers in the roughly 35-40 percent range.

On my radio show this morning, I asked callers, and a few elected officials, how they would rate the president. This is a quick snapshot of  some of the callers:

Why this matters: Talk radio listeners largely agree with the job performance of the president. Also, many expressed the opinion that his Tweeting and bombastic behavior is hurting his poll numbers and they would prefer he act more Presidential and “get out of his own way”, as one caller put it.

Because these respondents are mostly in the pro-Trump camp, the criticism should signal a warning that those who are not as enamored with the president, will not look the other way on his temperament issues and that could affect the midterms and his re-election.

The details:

— fivethirtyeightdot.com’s compilation of past presidents’ first year polling show President Trump sagging significantly behind his predecessors, including 20 points behind Barack Obama.

— Trump has a series of provable accomplishments that have been blotted out by the constant media coverage of his Tweets and outlandish statements, including a humming economy, decreased immigration, ISIS being decimated, and appointments of conservatives to the bench.

— In a recent Real Clear Politics average of polling generic Republicans vs. Democrats, Democrats are crushing Republicans with an 8.5 percent advantage.

— There is plenty of time for the president to turn these numbers around, but he has shown no desire to modify his behavior to his advantage.

Dale Jackson hosts a daily radio show from 7-11 a.m. on NewsTalk 770 AM/92.5 FM WVNN and a weekly television show, “Guerrilla Politics,” on WAAY-TV, both in North Alabama. Follow him @TheDaleJackson.