First signs of Trump support fading in Rust Belt battleground states: new poll

(Credit: AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

President Trump’s support in America’s heartland may have finally took a hit, according to the most recent NBC News/Marist poll. In the states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, Trump’s approval rating dipped below 40 percent for the first time since the inauguration.

Even worse for the president, more than 60 percent of voters in those states indicated that Trump’s behavior has embarrassed them.

A Quinnipiac poll last week found that Trump’s approval rating actually improved following his revolting response to the white nationalist protests in Charlottesville, Virginia. Yet NBC News’ poll, conducted from Aug. 13 – 17, reflects just the opposite.

In Wisconsin, 34 percent of voters approved of Trump’s job performance, while 56 percent disapproved. Similarly, in Michigan, 36 percent of voters were satisfied with Trump’s job performance thus far, while 55 percent indicated otherwise. In Pennsylvania, 35 percent appreciated the president’s job performance, while 54 percent did not appreciate the job Trump was doing.

Trump usually enjoys support from his base due to the economy. Many Republican voters attribute the Trump administration for the stable U.S. economy. But in the latest NBC News/Marist poll, voters in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania do not seem to be giving Trump much credit. Only 41 percent of Wisconsin voters indicated that the U.S. economy has strengthened by Trump’s decision as president. 42 percent of Michigan voters and 45 percent of Pennsylvania voters agreed that Trump has helped improved the economy.

In the 2016 election, Trump was the first Republican president since Ronald Reagan to carry all three of these Midwest states.

With Trump’s popularity dwindling in the Midwest, Democrats seem to have reaped the benefits. According to NBC News, “the polls show that 48 percent of Michigan voters prefer a Democratic-controlled Congress, versus 35 percent who prefer a Republican controlled one.” Similar margins were seen in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as well.