- The Washington Times - Tuesday, October 23, 2018

President Donald Trump’s favor with the people has jumped in recent days to a point that places him higher than even what media-fawned, leftist-loved Barack Obama could brag in the lead-up to the midterms.

This, as polls, pollsters and pundits keep predicting doom and gloom for the Republicans this November.

Now comes NBC/Wall Street Journal’s numbers, which show that Trump’s approval rating stands at 47 percent — the highest he’s ever hit in this frequently taken survey. What’s more, that 47 percent beats what Obama brought to the midterms in 2010 — a 45 percent approval rating.

So what’s it all mean?

What’s the big deal?

“Obama’s approval rating,” as The Hill noted, “was reaching a record low in October 2010, just before his party lost a significant number of seats in the House and Senate.”

That’s not to say the reverse will occur here with Trump — that his rising popularity will somehow rub off on Republican candidates around the nation and usher in an even larger GOP majority into the House and Senate.

But it’s not to say it won’t, either. The American people keep hearing that this election depends largely on the motivation of voters to get out and vote. 

“Two weeks out, Democrats retain an edge, but ’unprecedented enthusiasm’ is fueling both parties,” NBC News just blasted.

Trump’s numbers, his rising, soaring popularity numbers, certainly give cause to get to the polls.

Trump may be unpopular with some. But he’s popular with plenty — and the plenty that he’s popular with are enthusiastic, energetic, motivated and committed to the Trump “Make America First Again” cause.

They’re actually not even paying attention to the numbers, because they know polls lie.

And they know that a Democratic takeover of the House and Senate means an end to the Trump agenda — and quite possibly, an impeachment attempt.

The truth of the matter is this: Even if Trump’s numbers were in the tank, his band of supporters wouldn’t change direction and drop political support for this administration because so far, this White House is keeping its campaign promises. 

The economy’s soaring. The border issue is being addressed — and is shaping to be the political hotbed issue that will help drive Republican voters to the polls to keep a Republican majority in Congress. American prisoners from overseas are being released. Job numbers are stellar. Consumer confidence is rocking. The regulatory climate is being reeled back, bit by bit, chop block by chop block. This year, under this president, Christmas is coming and the goose is indeed getting fat.

What have polls predicting big Democratic wins this November have on those realities?

It’s good news Trump’s numbers are soaring with the people, because it underscores what his base already knows: that this White House, despite the left’s attempt to slander it as ineffective and hated, is winning, winning, winning on the fronts that matter most to the people. But this latest Trump poll is even better news because it shows that this president’s favor is soaring so high that even the error-prone polls and deceitful-minded media can’t cover up his favor.

His popularity is so great even the left can’t deny it any longer. 

Trump’s favor doesn’t necessarily translate into a good showing for all Republican candidates this November. But it’s a link in the chain. It’s better than what Obama had going into his first midterms. It’s a story line that can’t be altered by the media. And combined with all the White House successes, it’s more good news for the Republicans who are campaigning right now.

If the victory this November will go to the most motivated, then Republicans, particularly Trump-supporting conservatives, seem to have the most reasons to vote. If the victory this November will go to the most energized, then Republicans, once again — thanks to this White House’s run of agenda successes, underscored by this president’s rising favorability with the voters — have the most reasons to vote.

• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley.

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