CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten said on Monday that President Donald Trump’s approval rating on the issue of immigration has skyrocketed among the American electorate.
Trump’s current net approval rating is above water at +1 point, which surged by 20 points since June 2017, Enten said, citing his own aggregate data. Trump on Saturday deployed the National Guard to combat riots that erupted across Los Angeles stemming from ICE arrests of illegal immigrants.
“[Trump’s net approval rating] has gone up like a rocket,” Enten said. “Compare now versus eight years ago during Trump’s first term. Look at this, in his first term, Trump was way, way, way underwater at -21 points. But look at this, he’s up [by] over 20 points now in the aggregate, he is in positive territory at +1 point on his net approval rating. Some other polls even have it a little higher than that.”
“There is no issue on which Trump is doing so much better than he was in his first term more than the issue of immigration,” Enten continued.
A majority of Americans, 54% and 51%, approve of Trump’s mass deportations and of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents searching their communities to locate illegal immigrants, a CBS News poll released on Monday found. Enten added that a majority of Americans who are “directly connected” to the events going on in Los Angeles, California, approve of Trump’s actions to combat illegal immigration.
“It’s not just on the broad issue of immigration where Trump is doing well, it’s on the specifics. When you dive in on the issues, Trump is above 50% and his actions are above 50%, at least it comes to those most directly connected to what’s going on right now out in Los Angeles,” Enten said.