Two new polls show President Trump again suffering from record low numbers, as Americans are showing more support for tightening gun laws.
Polls from CNN and USA TODAY/Suffolk University both show Trump at his lowest level of support for each survey, at 35 per cent and 38 per cent respectively.
Meanwhile, CNN’s pollsters found that 70 per cent of American adults support stricter gun laws, while 61 per cent of registered voters surveyed for the USA Today/Suffolk University poll agreed.
Two new polls show President Trump again suffering from record low numbers, as a CNN survey said his approval stands at 35 per cent
At the same time, the percentage of Americans supporting tougher gun laws has increased in the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Here student Emma Gonzalez is seen speaking
Protesters are seen outside the federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A new poll found that nearly two-thirds of voters believe something can be done to prevent the next mass shooting, a big uptick from sentiments following past massacres
Last month, things were looking up for Trump.
The CNN survey had him up by five points, to 40 per cent.
His previous low water mark in the CNN survey was 35 per cent approval, which he received in December 2017 as well.
Even a Rasmussen Reports survey on Friday had Trump at 50 per cent approval, one of the highest polling measures he’s seen since being sworn into office last January.
But these latest numbers will likely discourage a White House, which is already reportedly suffering from low morale.
USA Today points out that the 38 per cent approval rating for Trump represents a ‘steep drop’ from the president’s standing a year ago, when his first joint address before Congress was considered a success.
Another warning sign in those numbers is that they’ve gotten more firm, with a larger per cent of respondents now saying they ‘strongly disapprove’ of the job Trump has done.
39 per cent told pollsters they strongly disapprove of the president, while just 16 per cent say they strongly approve of Trump.
The president has found himself in a politically precarious position on the issue of guns, as students from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have demanded action from their government in the wake of the Valentine’s Day shooting, which killed 17.
The CNN survey found that 33 per cent approved of Trump’s handling of the gun issue while another 54 per cent disapproved.
Americans tend to be more pro-gun control directly after a school shooting, which is what pollsters saw this time around too.
The bump was bigger this time, it’s yet to be seen if it’s more enduring.
But in the CNN survey, support for stricter gun laws spiked to the highest level of support pollsters had seen since 1993.
Back then it also stood at 70 per cent.
The intensity of the backing for gun control has ticked up too, with 52 per cent telling CNN that they ‘strongly’ favor stricter laws, which is well above the previous high marker of 37 per cent back in 2013.
At the same time, just 14 per cent said they strongly opposed enacting stronger gun laws.
Additionally, after the Parkland shooting, a bigger chunk of respondents – 64 per cent – said they believed government and society can take actions that will prevent future shootings than after any of the previous mass shootings over the last couple of years.
That’s compared to the 47 per cent who believed in that statement after last year’s Las Vegas shooting, the 46 per cent who agreed after the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting, the 35 per cent who believed that after the Charleston church massacre, the 46 per cent who thought something could be done after the Sandy Hook Elementary school murders and the 33 per cent who said so after the Tuscon, Arizona shooting, in which a gunman shot Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in the head.
The USA Today/Suffolk University poll found that 63 per cent of registered voters surveyed believed that semi-automatic weapons, like the AR-15 used by the Florida shooter, should be banned.
Another 29 per cent of respondents disagreed.
Also, 76 per cent of voters said that those treated for mental illness should be barred from having a firearm.
In this case, 12 per cent disagreed.
Republicans were more likely than Democrats to support a mental illness ban, as GOP lawmakers have often pointed to mental illness over guns as the biggest problem to tackle in the aftermath of a mass shooting.
But similar to numbers found in a Politico/Morning Consult poll on gun views, nearly half of Republicans are supportive of strengthening gun laws, despite the party’s historically pro-Second Amendment stance.
The CNN survey found that 49 per cent of Republicans wanted more gun control, while 46 per cent said no.