President Trump is notorious for his continued support for Fox News but that may change after it published the devastating results of a new poll.
The biggest takeaway was the surprisingly high number of people who think he is “unstable” and a “bully”.
Respondents were asked how well certain words described the president and for “bully,” 39 percent chose “extremely,” 14 percent chose “very” and 20 percent went with “somewhat.”
For the word “unstable,” 33 percent selected “extremely,” 11 percent chose “very” and 16 percent agreed with “somewhat.”
Just 27 percent said he was “not at all” a bully while 38 percent said he was “not at all” unstable.
The same poll also showed that
- 56 percent of respondents said Trump was “not at all” presidential,
- 55 percent said he was “not at all” a moral leader,
- 53 percent said he was “not at all” compassionate or steady
- 50 percent said he was “not at all” honest.
Despite these views, 58 percent of respondents believed Trump would finish his term.
The poll of 1,006 registered voters was conducted Aug. 27-29, and had a margin of error of 3 points.
Portions of the poll released earlier this week found a disapproval rating of 55 percent while 56 percent said Trump was “tearing the country apart.”
Trump today has an opportunity to dramatically change public perceptions of him as he visits areas devastated by Hurricane Harvey for a second time after drawing huge criticism on his first trip.
At stops in Houston and Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Saturday, the president planned to survey storm damage, talk with residents and meet with volunteers.
Those elements were missing from Tuesday’s trip to Texas, which was criticised as being off-key for a presidential visit to discuss communities in crisis, reports the Associated Press.
In Corpus Christi and Austin, Trump sat with emergency responders and officials who were coordinating recovery efforts with his administration. The event was marked by Trump’s impromptu speech to supporters outside a Corpus Christi firehouse - “What a crowd, what a turnout,” he said - instead of images of the president consoling victims or walking among the damage caused by of the storm.
Trump kept his distance from the epicenter of the damage, in Houston, to avoid disrupting recovery operations. Still, critics said he failed to adequately express compassion for the families of those killed in the storm’s path or those whose homes were flooded. He raised eyebrows when he predicted his approach would be a model for future presidents to emulate.
“We want to do it better than ever before,” he said. “We want to be looked at in five years, in 10 years from now as, ‘This is the way to do it.’”
“There was a lot of high-fiving about how well this disaster was being handled even as people were on their rooftops hoping to be rescued,” said David Axelrod, a top adviser to President Barack Obama. “People need to know that their president is emotionally engaged in their struggle and part of the obligation or the responsibility of a president, particularly in a media age, is to make that human connection.”
Trump later voiced more direct concern for those caught up in the storm. At the start of a speech in Missouri on Wednesday, he said the nation was praying for those in Harvey’s path and “we are here with you every single step of the way.”
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders emphasized that Trump planned one-on-one time with victims on Saturday.
Trump has also pledged £1 million of his personal fortune to relief efforts but the source of the money has since been called into question.