President Donald Trump’s approval rating on his response to the novel coronavirus pandemic has hit an all-time low, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Just 37 percent of Americans say they approve of the president’s coronavirus response. This is the lowest percentage since the poll began asking the question in early March. 58 percent of respondents said they disapprove of the way the president has handled the crisis.
The survey results come as the United States contends with a spike in coronavirus cases, most of these in states where government officials allowed economies to completely reopen against expert advice.
The president, meanwhile, has claimed that coronavirus cases are only climbing because of increased testing nationwide.
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“Cases are going up in the U.S. because we are testing far more than any other country, and ever expanding. With smaller testing we would show fewer cases!†he wrote yesterday.
That remark comes after he called widespread testing a “double-edged sword†during a free-wheeling speech at a Tulsa rally over the weekend.
“Here’s the bad part,†Trump said at the time. “When you do testing to that extent, you’re going to find more people, you’re going to find more cases. So I said to my people, ‘Slow the testing down, please!’â€
Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, defended the president, saying he was merely joking.
“He was joking about the media and their failure to understand the fact that when you test more, you also find more cases,†she said.
Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.
