Voters trust Pelosi over Trump on border security: Quinnipiac poll

More voters trust House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over President Trump on the big issues facing the country, according to a new Quinnipiac University Poll released Tuesday that finds the president is losing the border wall battle in the public.

Overall, voters trust Mrs. Pelosi 49 percent to 42 percent over Mr. Trump — and among independents she leads on trust by 49-36.

“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — one; President Donald Trump — zero,” said Tim Malloy, the poll’s assistant director.

Voters also aren’t sold on the president’s border wall plans, opposing the idea 55 percent to 41 percent. A strong majority doubts a wall would decrease the flow of illegal drugs or cut crime — both claims Mr. Trump has forcefully tried to make.

And voters reject the president’s threat to use emergency powers to follow through on his wall plans, with 66 percent opposing that idea and just 31 percent in support. Instead, a majority want to see a bill that includes border security measures that don’t involve a wall.

On broader trends, things remain about static. Mr. Trump’s total job approval rating slipped a bit over the last couple of weeks, falling from 41 percent to 38 percent, but it didn’t tumble, and it’s not the lowest he’s been.

Yet the Quinnipiac Poll does undercut the findings of a recent Marist poll that showed Mr. Trump with a 50 percent approval among Hispanics. The president had touted those numbers on Twitter, saying Hispanic voters were rewarding him for a job well done.

Quinnipiac’s breakdown, though, found just 23 percent of Hispanics saying they approve of the job he’s doing, and 71 percent opposed. That includes 63 percent who “strongly” disapprove.

The poll of 1,004 registered voters was taken Jan. 25-28, just as the five-week-long government shutdown was ending.

Blame for the shutdown continued to rest with Mr. Trump — though less than one in five people said they were actually affected by the lapse in funds.