A Fox News poll shows that the 20 percent of Americans who rated the United States economy as excellent is up 17 percent from what it was during the last month of the Obama administration (December 2016) when only three percent gave it that rating.
And that 20 percent is up from 14 percent in October, despite the Democrats ongoing impeachment effort against President Donald Trump.
Moreover, the poll shows that 55 percent of American voters give the economy the highest rating in almost 20 years and they believe Trump is responsible for it.
The last time the poll found a higher percentage of those who rated the economy as excellent or good was in January 2001, when 59 percent gave it that rating.
Fox News reported on its poll, which was released on Sunday:
When asked to say who or what they think is most responsible for the current economy, without the aid of a list, the top answer is Trump and Republicans (42 percent). Next, mentioned by far fewer, is former President Obama and Democrats (9 percent) and big business (7 percent).
Among just those with positive evaluations of the economy (excellent/good), nearly half credit Trump/Republicans (49 percent). And among those who say the economy is only fair or poor, about one-third blame Trump/Republicans (35 percent) — outpacing greed (10 percent), big business (9 percent), and Obama (9 percent).
The poll also found that a majority think the U.S. economy operates unfairly (55 percent) and feel dissatisfied with “how things are going in the country” (56 percent).
Also, the number of people who like the way things are going dropped to 43 percent, down from 45 percent who felt that way on the 100th day of the Trump administration in April 2017.
Along party lines, 85 percent of Republicans chose excellent or good to describe the economy and 75 percent like the direction the country is taking, while 82 percent of Democrats are unhappy about the country’s direction and give the economy a negative rating — 68 percent rate it “fair or poor.”
Trump’s overall approval rating is holding steady at 45 percent.
While the poll shows 54 percent of respondents disapprove of Trump, his approval rating among Republicans is at an all-time high at 91 percent — up from 85 percent last month.
“The president’s job approval on the economy has consistently outpaced his overall job approval, and even many voters who may take issue with his tone or style will acknowledge the economy has been strong overall during his presidency,” Kristen Soltis Anderson, a Republican pollster and Fox News contributor, said in the report. “A strong economy creates a good foundation for an incumbent seeking re-election, even if voters will also say things could always be even better or more fair.”
Democrat pollster Chris Anderson disagrees.
“Trump’s approval on the economy is up, but this is tenuous ground on which to stake his re-election, because even though most think economic conditions are good, a majority also believes the economy is unfair,” Anderson said. “Outside the Republican base, voters think the economy under Trump doesn’t work for most people.”
Some other findings of the poll include:
• Forty-five percent feel confident in Trump’s judgment in a crisis. That’s down from a high of 50 percent at the beginning of his term (February 2017). Fifty-two percent lack confidence, including 42 percent who are “not at all confident.”
• On Trump’s handling of relations with Iran, 27 percent think he has made the U.S. safer, while far more, 48 percent, say less safe. About one in five say no difference (19 percent).
• The bulk of voters, 47 percent, say Trump did the right thing when he ordered the U.S. military action that killed Iranian General Soleimani, while 37 percent think he did the wrong thing, and 16 percent are unsure.
• Eighty-three percent of Democrats think Trump should get congressional consent before ordering military action. That’s up 7 points compared to when the question was posed about Obama in 2013 (76 percent).
The poll was conducted January 19-22 and included interviews with 1,005 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide on both land lines and cell phones. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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