After Disastrous Russia Summit, Trump’s Approval Hits an All-Time High

Trump and Putin in Helsinki. Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

Donald Trump did not draw many positive reviews after his summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin last week, at least among the punditocracy. But in a new NBC News–Wall Street Journal poll, conducted both before and after the Helsinki summit, Trump has seen his approval rating tick up to 45 percent, an all-time high for him in the survey.

Trump’s high rating, up one percent from June, is thanks largely to support of Republicans, 88 percent of whom told pollsters that they approve of the job he’s doing. Among them, 64 percent strongly approve of Trump, who is experiencing an almost unheard-of level of support from members of his own party, the WSJ reports.

Of the four previous White House occupants, only George W. Bush, in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, had a higher approval rating within his own party at the same point in his presidency.

“These numbers don’t budge,” Bill McInturff, one of the pollsters who worked on this survey, told NBC News. “The Republican numbers don’t budge.”

A small portion of Trump’s support continues to come from Democrats, with 9 percent approving of him. Eighty-nine percent disapprove. With independent voters, Trump has a 36 percent approval rating with 58 percent disapproving of him.

On the issues, Trump got positive marks on the economy and his handling of the situation in North Korea. A majority of voters disapprove of his his treatment of migrant families at the border, his relationship with Russia, and his immigration policy.

After Russia Summit Fiasco, Trump’s Approval Hits New High