For years, the political establishment assured us that President Donald Trump’s poll numbers were “permanently underwater.”
Yet, here we are, watching him climb the approval ladder while critics look like Wile E. Coyote, clutching Acme dynamite.
According to a new Daily Mail/JL Partners poll, “the president is now tracking a 55 percent approval rating, according to the latest poll, with 45 percent disapproving.”
Going further, they note, “This is the highest approval figure we have ever shown for Donald Trump.”
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An AP-NORC poll shows that crime handling is now Trump’s top strength, surpassing immigration and the economy, which the Left thought would corner him. Voters, it seems, prefer not just words but real action.
Specifically, Trump’s approval rating increased by five percentage points after he deployed federal troops to Washington, D.C., following his claim that Washington had "become one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world."
The Daily Mail reported, “Violent crime in the city is down 39 percent from a year ago. Robberies are down 57 percent, and motor vehicle theft is down 35 percent, according to data released by the police department.”
Nature abhors a vacuum. If city police departments neglect their duties, what else is left to do? Daddy Trump is now home, and the lazy or rebellious teenagers are being told to clean their rooms and do their homework.
Trump’s approval extends beyond crime fighting. The Daily Mail accurately observed,
The U.S. economy expanded 3.3 percent in the second quarter, stronger than expected, and inflation remained stable. Consumer spending increased as well as personal incomes.
The stock market also grew, as the S&P 500 hit five new all-time records in August.
Trump opted against taking a vacation in August, remaining at the White House in Washington, D.C. instead.
The results appear to have paid off.
The Real Clear Politics average for Trump’s job approval is at 45 percent. In today’s political major leagues, 45% approval is like hitting .300 with the bases loaded. Most politicians would kill for that.
For comparison, congressional job approval hovers around the mid-20s according to the Real Clear Politics average. Trump is twice as popular as Congress. And after watching pharma-funded Senators screeching at RFK Jr during last week’s hearing, it’s surprising that Congress’s approval isn’t in the low single digits.
Was President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard a bold and necessary move or just political theater? It definitely caught people's attention, but also boosted his approval ratings. A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows only 38 percent of Americans support it, yet an impressive 76 percent of Republicans are fully on board.
Knowing your audience makes all the difference. Democrats are now the party of illegal alien criminal gangs, Venezuelan drug runners, and transgender shooters. Trump could eliminate crime, and Democrats would scream racism, fascism, Nazi, and White supremacy, meaning that their support for law and order is non-existent and not even worthy of polling.
Trump’s “law and order” mission persists in Chicago, and it might soon extend to Baltimore, Portland, or New Orleans. Yet some within his own party push back. Still, even opponents admit Trump is “doing something,” while they do nothing. For most voters -- those not suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome -- law and order clearly outweighs murder and chaos.
Are any of Trump’s people or their initiatives harming the boss? It doesn’t seem that way.
RFK Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” pitch is catchy. Most Americans are less concerned about a Big Mac or a bowl of Fruit Loops than a stray bullet, and this is where Trump’s anti-crime message resonates.
Even so, RFK Jr is the most popular official in Trump’s cabinet, as CNN reluctantly reported. Americans value leaders who challenge corrupt institutions and practices rather than defend them. RFK Jr’s approval ratings will likely increase after he effectively confronted the corrupt and fossilized Senators in last week’s hearings.
Then there's the Epstein saga. Remember when the media believed the Epstein files would ruin Trump? That's no longer the case. If there had been any evidence of Trump in the “Epstein files," it would have been released by Obama or Biden to destroy Trump’s previous presidential campaigns.
There would have been no need for RussiaGate or rigged elections to undermine Trump’s presidential ambitions.
A Quinnipiac poll shows 44 percent of Republicans approve of how Trump handled the Epstein files, 34 percent disapprove, and 22 percent don’t care enough to have an opinion. Essentially, it’s just another stale talking point.
Trump is the only politician in a decade to mention the Epstein files. Many of his supporters want disclosure and transparency, letting the chips fall where they may. Others worry that the Garland DOJ altered the information to implicate Trump. Some may fear harm to Epstein’s victims from too much disclosure.
Lastly, many who associated with Epstein did so for financial reasons, as he was a wealthy and prominent investment manager, and genuinely fear guilt by association with Epstein’s sinister activities.
Since the Epstein revelations are irrelevant to most Americans' daily lives, many don’t care. But the slow rollout hints at another example of “the big club” shielding its members.
So why are Trump’s polling numbers rising? Because Americans are tired of chaos. Visit any big American city and see the mix of homelessness, feces, and used needles on the sidewalks, boarded-up storefronts, and other stores selling goods behind locked plexiglass with no one to open them.
Democrats can lecture on climate alarmism, vaccine fetishes, and gender transitioning, but none of it matters when your neighborhood feels unsafe. Trump’s approval is becoming a referendum on protection, not podium politics.
And honestly, on a political stage where Joe Biden can hardly form a sentence and Kamala Harris sips chardonnay along with her word salad, Trump looks like a rock star.
Here’s the bottom line for conservatives: results matter more than rhetoric. While the media hyperventilates about dictatorship, real Americans see something else, a leader willing to take action where Democrats won’t.
RFK Jr. can promote kale, the Left can squeal about Epstein, and the media can clutch their pearls, but none of it moves the needle. Trump’s rising numbers show one thing: people want safety in their homes and streets. Deliver that, and the polls will improve no matter how shrill the background noise.
Brian C. Joondeph, M.D., is a physician and writer. Follow me on Twitter @retinaldoctor, Substack Dr. Brian’s Substack. Truth Social @BrianJoondeph, LinkedIn @Brian Joondeph and email brianjoondeph@gmail.com.