President Trump scored among his best approval ratings ever in the latest Gallup poll on his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. As PJ Media’s Matt Margolis reported, this is the fourth poll in which Trump has excelled and that is remarkable considering the media anvil sitting on his head.
The media have done even worse in the poll. And why wouldn’t they? They:
- Were caught carrying water for the Chinese government to criticize Trump.
- Tried to do silly gotcha stories on Trump for failing to keep proper social distancing while sitting close to other reporters.
- Slammed Trump for giving what they consider “false hope” about using malaria meds to help treat very sick patients.
- Demanded to know why he didn’t nationalize companies for supplies when companies are already helping.
- Used the pressers announcing how the government is responding and offering new information to grandstand.
- Called the president a xenophobe and racist for instituting a travel ban from China early in the crisis.
- Called Trump a racist for calling a virus from China a Chinese virus.
- Called him selfish for not doing getting a COVID-19 test even though his doctor didn’t think he needed one. It was negative.
- Accused Trump of not believing in science so people shouldn’t believe what he said on COVID-19.
- Used Chinese government talking points about that government’s response to the disease.
- Blamed Trump and “right wing media” of sending mixed messages in a National Emergency that changed by the hour.
- Encouraged other media not to air the president’s daily Coronavirus Task Force briefings deriding them as “dangerous.”
- Depicted minor differences in approach between Trump and his NIH pandemic expert as catastrophic.
And what of the media’s approval rating during this National Emergency? According to the same Gallup poll, the media have not acquitted themselves well, coming in last.
Screenshot/Gallup
Hospital and medical personnel, who are literally putting their lives on the line to treat COVID-19 patients, rightly came in number one in the poll. The people who take care of people’s children came in second, followed by the state government, the individual’s employers, and the federal government’s health leaders. Vice President Mike Pence, who has headed the government’s response to the virus, came in just slightly ahead of President Trump. The Congress and the media brought up the rear.
Considering the media’s portrayal of Trump and their hate-hate relationship with him, 60% probably seems like 100% to the president. And that’s a triumph.
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