"Some of the things I'm doing probably aren't popular, but they're necessary for security and for other reasons," Trump said.
That right there suggests all of Trump's bluster about how every negative poll is "fake news" is just that — bluster. But it also reveals something else about Trump: He isn't terribly concerned about being unpopular. All he truly feels the need to do is keep his base happy.
And he's doing just fine on that count.
A new poll from the Pew Research Center shows Trump's GOP base, if anything, is slightly happier than many other recent presidents' bases have been. For all the talk about how Trump's approval ratings are the lowest for a new president in modern history and all of the increasingly public hand-wringing by elected Republicans, actual GOP voters are still very much onboard the Trump train.
Fully 84 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents approve of Trump right now. Of the last six presidents, only Barack Obama was in better shape with his base the month after his inauguration, with 86 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaners. Both Bushes were at 82 percent, and Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan were slightly under 80 percent.
Analysis | Donald Trump is doing AOK with the only people he cares about
That right there suggests all of Trump's bluster about how every negative poll is "fake news" is just that — bluster. But it also reveals something else about Trump: He isn't terribly concerned about being unpopular. All he truly feels the need to do is keep his base happy.
And he's doing just fine on that count.
A new poll from the Pew Research Center shows Trump's GOP base, if anything, is slightly happier than many other recent presidents' bases have been. For all the talk about how Trump's approval ratings are the lowest for a new president in modern history and all of the increasingly public hand-wringing by elected Republicans, actual GOP voters are still very much onboard the Trump train.
Fully 84 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents approve of Trump right now. Of the last six presidents, only Barack Obama was in better shape with his base the month after his inauguration, with 86 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaners. Both Bushes were at 82 percent, and Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan were slightly under 80 percent.
Analysis | Donald Trump is doing AOK with the only people he cares about
By keeping his base happy, he all but ensures retained control of the Senate in 2018. We've all seen the map...
...and the House? The Dems are in such disarray, they don't know where to start. With a counties map that looks like this...
...saying the chance are slim is an understatement...
As long as Trump continues to keep his base happy, he keeps control of the Senate and the House, and he doesn't need bi-partisan support...
IOW, it's going to be a long, long four years for Democrats...
