AP-NORC: GOP economic approval falls

President Donald Trump is still drawing stronger support from Republicans on immigration and national security than on the economy, according to an AP-NORC poll published on May 20. The survey found Republican approval of Trump’s handling of the economy has fallen since February, even as most Republicans continued to back him on immigration and during the war with Iran. The Associated Press said the new results pointed to a split inside Trump’s coalition by issue rather than a broad collapse in partisan support. A separate Times Now report, citing the same AP-NORC data, said Republican approval of Trump’s economic management dropped to 60% in May from 80% in February. ### How far did Republican confidence on the economy fall? The AP’s May 20 analysis said Republicans were less satisfied with Trump’s handling of the economy than they were a few months earlier. The sharpest figure attached to that shift came from Times Now’s summary of the AP-NORC findings: 60% of Republicans approved of Trump’s economic management in May, down from 80% in February. (ap.org) AP linked that erosion to rising concern over prices as the Iran war continued. In a separate AP item published last month, the news agency reported that Trump’s approval on the economy had slumped as the conflict drove prices higher, and that even Republicans were showing less faith in his leadership on that issue. (ap.org) ### Where is Trump still holding Republicans? Republicans remained more likely to support Trump on immigration and security questions than on the economy, according to AP’s May 20 write-up of the poll. AP said Republicans were “largely continuing to stand behind him as the war with Iran continues,” even while their views of his economic stewardship weakened. (ap.org) The issue split fits a broader pattern in AP-NORC polling this year. AP’s polling tracker shows repeated surveys on presidential approval, the economy and other issues, providing a running measure of where support is holding and where it is softening. ### Does the poll show a broader national collapse for Trump? Newsweek’s state-by-state roundup published on May 21 said Trump remained underwater nationally and in key battleground states 16 months into his second term. (ap.org) But the same report described a country that was still heavily polarized, with approval and disapproval varying sharply by state rather than moving in one direction everywhere at once. (apnews.com) That matters because the AP-NORC findings are narrower than a full national realignment story. The new movement is concentrated in how Republicans rate Trump on the economy, while support on immigration and national-security issues has been steadier, according to AP. (newsweek.com) ### Why is the economy the pressure point? Prices were central to AP’s explanation of the decline. AP reported last month that the Iran war was pushing prices higher and weighing on Trump’s economic approval. Times Now also tied the drop in Republican approval to disruption linked to the conflict. (ap.org) The poll does not show Republicans abandoning Trump across the board. It shows a narrower problem: economic confidence has weakened faster than confidence on immigration or security, according to AP’s May 20 account of the survey. ### What should readers watch next? (ap.org) The next signal will come from additional AP-NORC releases and any follow-up polling that tests whether Republican anxiety about prices persists into the summer. AP’s polling tracker is the central place where the organization posts new and historical AP-NORC findings on presidential approval and the economy. May 20 is the key date for this snapshot because that is when AP published its latest analysis of where Trump is faltering and where he is holding steady with Republicans. (ap.org) If another AP-NORC wave shows whether the 60% figure stabilizes or falls further, that will provide the next comparable reading on the economy inside Trump’s party. (apnews.com)