In a brand new ABC News/Washington Post poll out Sunday, the news organizations found a sizable five-point “uptick” in President Trump’s approval rating over a poll published in August. The increase to 41 percent came after the contentious battle for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh that left the Republicans unified and energized like they hadn’t been since the Obama years. Despite that fact, the cast of ABC’s Good Morning America that morning didn’t see it helping the GOP much in November.
To begin their reporting on their poll, reporter and fill-in host Adrienne Bankert noted that “our new ABC News/Washington Post poll out this morning shows President Trump's numbers have improved.” She immediately followed up with a suggestion the President was looking into a new child separation immigration policy. A topic that would surely hurt that number.
“50 percent of people saying they would do a better job on immigration versus just 38 percent who think that Republicans would do a better job,” added co-host Eva Pilgrim also referencing the new poll numbers.
A short time later, they brought on ABC’s This Week host George Stephanopoulos to give his take on what the poll numbers meant. While he did admit that the numbers went up because the economy was “doing very well” and GOP were “consolidated” post-Kavanaugh fight, he wrote off the number because “41 percent, still not great. It's still in the danger zone for presidents going into a midterm.”
“Most presidents who have approval ratings that low going into the midterms lose seats in the midterm elections,” he added. While it is true that presidents with such low approval ratings do tend to lose seats, Stephanopoulos didn’t seem to take into account the number people who generally disliked the President but would still support Republican candidates, especially after the Kavanaugh smear campaign.
Pilgrim then touted the gender gap the poll found, suggesting a windfall for Democrats. “Women are more disapproving of the president. They prefer Democratic House candidates. Overall there seems to be more of a sense of urgency about this midterm with women,” she said.
Stephanopoulos boasted about how it was the largest gender gap “we’ve ever seen in polling” dating back to 1982 when they first started tracking it. “Women are generally turned off. It's not so much policy or not only policy. It's President Trump's character, temperament the way he goes about his business and, of course, the #MeToo movement is fueling it as well,” he explained.
He also marveled at what it could mean for Democrats:
We've seen a tremendous rise also in female candidates. Particularly on the Democratic side. And this I think is the key thing to watch in this election. If women come out in the kind of numbers we've seen them expressing in this poll right now, that's very good news for Democrats.
While ABC was discounting the climb in President’s approval rating and what it signaled about the GOP’s chances in November, they were overlooking how many of the tight Senate races had started to widen in the GOP’s favor. The liberal media had spent months hyping the so-called “blue wave”, some even calling it a tsunami. But it seemed as though that wave could strike some red breakers.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC
Good Morning America
October 14, 2018
8:10:12 a.m. EasternADRIENNE BANKERT: Now to President Trump and an uptick in his approval rating. Our new ABC News/Washington Post poll out this morning shows President Trump's numbers have improved. This comes as he turned his focus again to immigration leaving the door open for a potential new child separation policy.
EVA PILGRIM: But that same poll showing Democrats gaining ground on that issue. 50 percent of people saying they would do a better job on immigration versus just 38 percent who think that Republicans would do a better job.
(…)
8:12:49 a.m. Eastern
BANKERT: Let's start with the latest uptick in approval ratings for the President. A lot of people are talking about it. He has seen improvement. So, what's fueling these numbers? And then the second part of the question is, how will voters' feelings, either positive or negative, affect their midterm vote?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, I think there are two things fueling the President’s rise. One, the economy is doing very well. Secondly, I think he’s really has consolidated Republican support in the wake of that fight over Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. I think that really helped him unify Republicans and get them excited again. So, we have seen an uptick. Now, 41 percent still not great. It's still in the danger zone for presidents going into a midterm. Most presidents who have approval ratings that low going into the midterms lose seats in the midterm elections. But it is on the rise and that's helped.
PILGRIM: When you break down those numbers, there seems to be a difference in opinion when you look at gender. Women are more disapproving of the president. They prefer Democratic House candidates. Overall there seems to be more of a sense of urgency about this midterm with women. What's driving that and how critical do you think the female vote is going to be?
STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, first of all, this gender gap is as high as we've ever seen in polling. We've been polling the gender gap going back to 1982. It's never been this high going into a midterm election. It’s something we've seen develop through the last campaign. Women are generally turned off. It's not so much policy or not only policy. It's President Trump's character, temperament the way he goes about his business and, of course, the #MeToo movement is fueling it as well. We've seen a tremendous rise also in female candidates. Particularly on the Democratic side. And this I think is the key thing to watch in this election. If women come out in the kind of numbers we've seen them expressing in this poll right now, that's very good news for Democrats.
WHIT JOHNSON: And George, immigration back in the headlines. The President talking about it. Reports of a new possible policy. Another interesting piece of this poll, 50 percent of Americans saying they trust Democrats to better handle immigration compared 38 percent for Republicans. Is the President's zero tolerance policy, specifically the separation of families, impacting the GOP? And is that a negative impact?
STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, you know, it's a mixed impact. I mean, I think our poll is right. I think generally voters prefer Democrats over Republicans on immigration. They generally reject President Trump's hard-line policies, but the President's base loves them and it’s one of the things that gets them most excited, most enthusiastic about going to the polls. So, I think how it will actually impact the election, kind of a wash.
