Trump's Job Approval Rating at 45%; Congress' Jumps to 29% by Megan Brenan Story Highlights Trump’s ratings similar on immigration, foreign affairs, trade, economy Republicans broadly approve of Trump’s job overall and on issues 12-point, one-month rise in approval of Congress, to 29%, due to GOP WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Less than one month into his second term in office, President Donald Trump’s job approval rating is at 45%, similar to his first post-inauguration reading of 47% in January. Trump’s ratings on several issues that his administration has targeted in the first weeks of his presidency are similar to his overall rating, including on immigration (46%), foreign affairs (44%), foreign trade (42%) and the economy (42%). Meanwhile, slightly fewer Americans, 40% each, approve of the president’s handling of the situations in Ukraine and in the Middle East between the Israelis and Palestinians, as fewer offer opinions of his performance on these two issues. The latest ratings are from a Feb. 3-16 Gallup poll, conducted as Trump continued to sign an unprecedented number of executive orders, memoranda and proclamations addressing a wide array of policy areas, including the six covered in the survey. Republicans Register High Approval of Trump Ninety-three percent of Republicans, 37% of independents and 4% of Democrats approve of Trump’s job performance overall. Republicans also broadly approve of the president’s handling of immigration (92%), foreign affairs (90%), the economy (90%) and foreign trade (89%). Another 80% of Republicans each approve of Trump’s handling of the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine. At the same time, Democrats register single-digit approval ratings of Trump on all six issues measured. Aside from independents’ 40% rating for the president’s performance on immigration, their ratings range from 31% on the economy to 37% on foreign affairs. The 89-percentage-point partisan gap in Trump’s overall job approval rating is among the highest Gallup has measured for any president. The only larger gaps were 90 and 92 points, also for Trump, both in the fall of 2020 as he sought reelection to a second term. The next highest partisan gap in approval was 88 points, for Joe Biden, in October 2021. Trump’s Rating Better Than First Term, Worse Than All Presidents Since 1953 Trump's job approval rating is 15 points below the historical average for all other elected presidents in mid-February since 1953, but it is five points higher than the February reading in his first term. Bill Clinton has the next lowest mid-February rating for a newly inaugurated president -- which, at 51%, is six points higher than where Trump is now. John Kennedy (72%) and Jimmy Carter (71%) were the highest rated at this point in their presidencies. Before Trump's first term, the gap in partisans’ approval of presidents in their first February in office ranged from 21 to 60 points. In 2017, that gap rose to 79 points for Trump, increased further to 84 points in 2021 for Biden and is now a record-high 89 points for Trump. Trump’s current ratings on foreign affairs and the economy are also historically low compared with early-term ratings for other recent presidents. His latest 44% approval rating on foreign affairs, though better than the 38% he earned at the same point in his first term, is lower than those of Biden (56%), Barack Obama (54%) and Clinton (53%) but similar to George W. Bush (46%). Republicans (+8 points) and independents (+7 points) are more likely to approve of Trump’s handling of foreign affairs now than in 2017, while Democrats' ratings of him on the issue are essentially unchanged. Trump’s approval rating on the economy now, 42%, is lower than his 48% reading in February 2017, as well as the first-term February ratings for Biden (54%), Obama (59%) and Bush (53%) on the issue. Clinton’s 45% economic rating in February 1993, however, was similar to Trump’s latest. While nine in 10 Republicans again approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, independents’ approval is now 13 points lower, at 31%, and Democrats’ is eight points lower, at 5%. Republicans Drive Increase in Congressional Job Approval Rating Americans’ approval of Congress has jumped 12 points since early January, to 29%, which is the highest rating since May 2021. Until now, congressional job approval had not risen above 20% in just over two years. The latest jump in Americans’ rating of Congress is mostly owed to a 42-point surge among Republicans, whose improved views are likely the result of their party assuming control of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Senate and the presidency. Currently, 53% of Republicans approve of the job Congress is doing, along with 26% of independents (up nine points) and 5% of Democrats (down 18 points). The last time Republican approval of Congress was higher than now was in August 2005, when Republicans also had control of both chambers and 57% approved of the body. Republicans also had a unified government from 2017 to 2019, and today’s rating of Congress among Republicans is similar to the highest reading during that time -- 50% in February 2017. Republicans’ approval for that Congress ultimately averaged 29%. When Democrats last held the presidency, House and Senate -- from 2021 to 2023 -- their approval of Congress was as high as 61% in 2021 and averaged 40% for that session. Likewise, from 2009 to 2011, with Democratic control of both chambers and the presidency, a high of 63% of Democrats approved of Congress in May 2009. Congressional approval also averaged 40% among Democrats for that session. Each party’s record-high approval rating of Congress was recorded in 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., when Americans rallied around their government and institutions. About a month after the attacks, Republicans’ congressional approval was 89%, Democrats’ was 82% and independents’ was 81%. Bottom Line Republicans’ widespread approval of Trump’s overall job performance and his handling of immigration, foreign affairs, foreign trade, the economy, and the situations in Ukraine and the Middle East is not enough to earn him majority-level ratings among all Americans. This is because independents’ approval of the president is weak, and Democrats’ is nearly nonexistent. Trump’s first two job approval ratings have both been below 50% due to relatively low support among independents, similar to his first term but lower than what Biden enjoyed early in his term. Like Trump, Biden registered exceedingly high approval from his party but very low approval from the opposition. Republicans are also pushing overall approval of Congress to its highest point in more than two years, as they seek to enact Trump’s policy agenda. However, history has shown that partisans’ approval tends to fade somewhat after an initial honeymoon period.

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Congress Should Pass Antisemitism Awareness Act Mackenzie France | RealClearWire Mar 14, 2025 Facebook Twitter Email Facebook Twitter Email Print Copy article link Save Much ink has already been spilled on the antisemitism crisis plaguing the United States. As the new Trump administration seeks to crack down on antisemitism on university campuses, Congress should finally pass legislation that treats the subject with the importance it deserves. Politicking by Sen. Chuck Schumer prevented the Antisemitism Awareness Act (AAA) from passing last December, largely due to fears over exposing a divide amongst senate Democrats. Now, there is a fresh opportunity for Congress to act after the bill was reintroduced in the House in February with bipartisan support. Senate Republicans and Democrats should show the same bipartisanship as their House colleagues and get this legislation over the line. The fundamental aim of the AAA is to force the Department of Education to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism when enforcing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. In this way, the act would require schools receiving federal tax dollars to protect students adequately from antisemitic discrimination, lest they forfeit their funding. Despite an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote passing the AAA in the House (320-91), spurious misunderstandings and lies about what the bill would accomplish have abounded. From bizarre claims from some Republicans that the bill would “ban” some portions of the New Testament to hysteria from some far-left Democrats that the bill codifies special protections for Israel into U.S. law, the AAA is the victim of serious slander. The AAA does not criminalize any speech, even the most virulent antisemitism. Rather, it seeks to ensure that taxpayer-funded institutions protect their Jewish students from harm and discrimination just as they would for any other minority student group. The IHRA’s given examples of antisemitism have proven to be the chief cause of concern for opponents of the bill. For some progressives, the greatest concern is how these examples might be used to stifle legitimate criticism of Israel. Others have focused on free-speech concerns. Take a closer look at the examples themselves, though, and you’ll be left wondering what exactly these opponents are afraid they can no longer say. Sponsored Here's The Estimated Cost of a 1-day Gutter Guards Installation Here's The Estimated Cost of a 1-day Gutter Guards Installation LeafFilter Partner Prostate Pain? NASA's Bizarre "Zero Gravity Pee Protocol" Can Help [Watch] Prostate Pain? NASA's Bizarre "Zero Gravity Pee Protocol" Can Help [Watch] Always Healthy Me How To: Move Your IRA/401k Out of Stocks- Tax Free How To: Move Your IRA/401k Out of Stocks- Tax Free American Hartford Gold Prostate Problems? Why Astronauts Don't Have Them (Secret Ingredient) Prostate Problems? Why Astronauts Don't Have Them (Secret Ingredient) Living Finest 2025's Most Realistic Bunny Toy 2025's Most Realistic Bunny Toy Sherum Cardiologists: 1/2 Cup Before Bed Burns Belly Fat Like Crazy! Try This Recipe! Cardiologists: 1/2 Cup Before Bed Burns Belly Fat Like Crazy! Try This Recipe! Health Headlines Firstly, the free speech objections presented by a small minority of Republicans in the House seem to be a misunderstanding of the bill in its entirety. Of course, any attempt to bring about legal consequences for speech in itself would be unconstitutional and met with opposition by most Americans. The AAA does not seek to do this, but rather to address the problem of taxpayer-funded institutions failing to protect their Jewish students and staff, a problem that is clearly rife today. Wilder objections from the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene and Tucker Carlson – that the bill somehow bans or restricts the New Testament or that it could be used to persecute Christians – are farcical. Perhaps ironically, the fact that Taylor Greene seems to believe that the Jewish people were responsible for the crucifixion of Christ is evidence of the clear need for a bill addressing antisemitism in a straightforward way. The majority of opposition to the bill last time came from anti-Israel Democrats. It seems only natural to me, though, that any working definition of antisemitism would cover examples of how prejudice against the world’s only Jewish state can stray into antisemitism. The IHRA covers several specific examples of this, including comparing Israeli policy to that of Nazi Germany, using classic antisemitic symbols like the blood libel to criticize Israel, and denying the Jewish people their “right to self-determination” by calling for the destruction of Israel or by suggesting that Israel is in itself a racist pursuit. It also covers specific accusations against individual Jewish people that relate specifically to Israel, including accusations of “dual loyalty” or holding Jews worldwide responsible for the actions of the Israeli government. Daily headlines delivered to your inbox Get our free newsletter Your email Submit Opponents of IHRA often characterize these examples as incredibly broad and, therefore, a risk to free expression, when in fact the opposite is true. Where criticism of Israel is concerned, it’s a deliberate, conscious choice to compare the Jewish state to Nazi Germany. This is almost never done from ignorance, almost always from malice. There is a reason why Hamas uses terms like “Nazi Zionism” in its propaganda. It is deeply malicious to accuse Jews of inflicting or invoking the same evil that murdered 6 million of their own people in Europe. It’s generally a good idea to stay away from Nazi comparisons in any civilized political debate, but it should not be difficult to see why Nazi comparisons levied against Israel stray into antisemitism. There is also a convincing case as to why calls for the destruction of Israel, or the denial that a Jewish state could ever exist legitimately, is antisemitic. Firstly, only when criticizing Israel do calls for dissolution of the state itself appear. Even when criticizing the most murderous autocrats on the planet, whether it be President Putin or Ayatollah Khamenei, nobody calls for the dissolution of Russia or Iran. One can be the harshest critic of Netanyahu and his far-right coalition without calling for the total disestablishment of Israel (especially knowing what the consequences would bring). If the only country on earth you wish to see destroyed is coincidentally the world’s only Jewish state, ask yourself why IHRA might incorporate this into its definitions. Secondly, denying the right of the Jewish people to self-determination by claiming that Israel could never exist legitimately in any form, like the “racist endeavor” example found in IHRA, is nigh on indefensible. Much is rightly made in the international arena of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and, therefore, their eventual right to statehood. If an Israeli politician were to say that a Palestinian state in principle would always be illegitimate, there would rightly be outraged accusations of deeply irrational anti-Palestinianism. This is the exact same principle behind the self-determination example found in IHRA. The examples relating to Jewish individuals are even more clear cut. Accusations of dual loyalty and collective responsibility are tales as old as time. Of course, in matters of national security, it is perfectly legitimate for governments to be wary of any external loyalties of their employees, but when this noble aim turns inquisitorial against Jews, there is an antisemitism problem. Henry Kissinger famously declared to Golda Meir as she petitioned for support for Israel during the Yom Kippur war, “First I am an American, second I am Secretary of State, third I am a Jew.” I ask critics of the IHRA to reflect, if they are unsatisfied by this answer, whether they would feel differently if Mr. Kissinger had declared himself a Catholic last, or had a different ancestry. Passing the AAA will help to counter the current surge of antisemitism in the U.S. As the Republican administration seeks to ensure that college campuses and other federally funded institutions protect their Jewish populace, Congress has the chance to support that mission in a bipartisan way. Lawmakers should not hesitate.