The first poll results on Trump’s aggressive child separation policy is in, and it’s bad news for Republicans, especially heading into the November elections. But when you apply a little logic to the numbers, it looks even worse.
CNN just released a poll showing that only 28% of Americans overall approve of the policy, while 68% disapprove. Democrats absolutely hate the policy, with only 6% approval, with 91% giving it a thumbs down. Independents tabbed in at 27% approval and 68% disapproval. It probably won’t amaze you to find that the wayward souls of the GOP approve of the policy by a 58-35 margin.
But here’s where the wicket gets a little stickier for Trump and his GOP minions. A recent NBC/WSJ poll showed Trump enjoying 78% support among Republican voters, with only 13% disapproving. Which means that there is a 20 point drop in GOP voter support between his overall job approval, and approval for this policy. The disapproval drop is 22%. something is going to have to give.
Don’t get me wrong here. This is only one poll, and this issue is not going to make his loyal Trombies roll dead fish up in him and throw him in the garbage can. Some people have been shaking their heads in amazement at the depth of Trump’s support among GOP voters. But if this trend continues in other polling, it will show that there is a limit of what at least some GOP voters will tolerate from Trump. The longer this goes on, the worse the pictures are going to get, and the more heart wrenching the smuggled out audio of terrified children. And the more GOP voters will be inundated with the media coverage.
Here’s where it really sucks for the GOP writ large heading into November. Most Republican incumbents have been loathe to stick their heads up out of their holes, for fear that Glorious Bleater will play whack-a-mole with them. These incumbents likely don’t have a 78% approval rating, even within their own party constituents. Trump is not on the ballot this year, but they are.If this situation continues to deteriorate, as I fear it will, voters can’t punish Trump, but they sure as hell can punish their elected officials if they don’t do something more than just shake their heads and cluck their tongues. And Democrats will be there every step of the way to keep this issue front and center, and ask why the incumbent is MIA on this. Keep an eye on the polls on this issue as time goes by and the situation develops more fully.
So, just keep an eye on the polls on this issue, as well as on polls on Trump’s job approval. The same CNN poll on this issue also showed that Trump’s overall job approval numbers fell back to 39%. This may or not turn out to be the GOP’s “Katrina,” But if they don’t end it soon, it’s going to start to feel like their own Vietnam to the GOP incumbents.
