Most Americans Blame Trump For The Price Of Gas

 

These charts are from the Strength in Numbers / Verasight Poll -- done between July 14th and 17th of a nationwide sample of 1,514 adults, with a 2.6 point margin of error.

Most Americans Blame Trump For The Rising Gas Prices

 

The chart above reflects the results of the NPR / PBS News / Marist Poll -- done between April 27th and 30th of a nationwide sample of 1,322 adults (including 1,155 registered voters). The margin of error is 3.1 points for adults and 3.3 points for registered voters.

Trump Approval 39% - Public Opposes Military In Cities - Blame Trump/GOP For Shutdown

 

The charts above reflect the results of the Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between October 4th and 6th of a nationwide sample of 1,648 adults (including 1,490 registered voters). The margin of error is 3.4 points for adults and 3.1 points for registered voters.

The Public Gives Trump A Lot Of Blame For The Shutdown

The chart above reflects the results of the YouGov Poll -- done on October 2nd of a nationwide sample of 2,890 adults. (no moe given)

Public Blames Trump/GOP For Shutdown - Agrees With Dems On ACA Subsidies

 

The charts above reflect the results of the Washington Post Poll -- done on October 1st of a random nationwide sample of 1,010 adults, with a 3.5 point margin of error.

The GOP Blamed More Than Dems For The Government Shutdown

 

The chart above reflects the results of the Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between September 26th and 29th of a nationwide sample of 1,656 adults (including 1,518 registered voters). The margin of error is 3.4 points for adults and 3.1 points for registered voters.

Trump: Look In The Mirror To See Who's Causing Violence

Donald Trump has delivered more violent political rhetoric than any other modern presidential candidate. But he wants to blame Democrats. That's not unusual. He commonly blames others for things he is guilty of doing.

Steve Benen at MSNBC.com explains why Trump's blame game on political violence is ridiculous:

First, the investigation into the alleged would-be shooter is just beginning. The idea that the former president can speak to the suspect’s motivations, in detail, is difficult to take seriously. Given the preliminary evidence, Ryan Wesley Routh’s politics were, to put it mildly, idiosyncratic, supporting Republican, Democratic and independent candidates — including, in 2016, Trump himself. To characterize him as some kind of lifelong Democratic partisan is a stretch.

Second, Trump clearly sees accusations that he’s a “threat to democracy” as beyond the pale, but, in reality, the Republican candidate really has endorsed an authoritarian-style vision that would undermine democracy. This assessment is based almost entirely on Trump’s own rhetoric and public statements. When the former president’s critics, in Democratic politics and elsewhere, accuse him of being a threat to democracy, their case is rooted in fact.

Third, these assessments aren’t just coming from the left. Trump’s own former defense secretary, Mark Esper, has described the former president as a “threat to democracy.” The Washington Post’s Bob Woodward, who remained neutral in every presidential race throughout his lengthy career, made an exception for Trump, calling him a “threat to democracy.” Retired federal Judge J. Michael Luttig, a giant of conservative jurisprudence, directly accused Trump and his allies of waging a “war on democracy,” adding that the former president is a “clear and present danger” to American democracy.

Fourth, if Trump genuinely believes that accusations about “threats to democracy” are beyond the pale, he should probably take a moment to explain why he keeps accusing people he dislikes of being “threats to democracy.” At last week’s presidential debate, for example, he pointed at his Democratic rival and declared, “They talk about democracy. ‘I’m a threat to democracy.’ They’re the threat to democracy.”

Fifth, the hypocrisy surrounding the former president’s latest rant was staggering. In the same interview with Fox News Digital in which he accused Democrats of creating security threats by using caustic rhetoric, Trump said Democrats “want to destroy our country” and are currently “destroying the country.” He added — again, in the interview in which he was arguing that Democrats ought to dial down their comments — that Democrats are “the enemy from within” and “the real threat.”

The GOP's Own Policies Come Back To Bite Them

There was an attempt on Donald Trump's life at his rally on Saturday. And unsurprisingly, Republican officials are busy trying to blame Democrats for it. One even went so far as to say it was a hit directed by President Biden.

Of course, the GOP assertions are ridiculous. Democrats are not supportive of political violence. They have been the leading voices in opposition to it. 

But the same cannot be said of the Republican Party. Trump himself has encouraged his supporters to be politically violent. And he was proud of their violent assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th of 2021. He still calls the violent attackers "victims", and the ones convicted and sent to prison as "hostages". And party leaders have followed in Trump's footsteps by trying to excuse political violence from right-wingers  (who commit most of the political violence in the U.S.).

And much of the GOP base has eagerly jumped aboard. Polls have shown that a significant portion of the party now believe that violence is not only OK, but necessary. They just never expected that a shooter (a registered Republican) would turn that violence against them.

That's not the only GOP policy that fed into Trump's shooting. The 20 year-old shooter had an assault-style weapon. Democrats have been trying to pass reasonable gun laws (banning assault weapons, raising the minimum age for buying semi-automatic weapons, plugging the holes in the background check law, etc.). Republicans have opposed any new gun laws - even those supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans. Their position makes it easier for violent people to get a weapon.

Republicans may want to blame Democrats for the Trump shooting, but the truth is that their own policies have come back to bite them! 

Republicans Get Blamed Most For A Government Shutdown

This chart reflects the result of the Quinnipiac University Poll -- done between October 26th and 30th of a nationwide sample of 1,610 registered voters, with a 2.4 point margin of error.

Most Want Politicians To Compromise To Avoid Shutdown

The charts above reflect the results of the new Monmouth University Poll -- done between September 19th and 24th of a nationwide sample of 814 adults, with a 4.3 point margin of error. 

Who Does The Public Blame For Jan. 6th Attack On Capitol?

The chart above reflects the results of the new Politico / Morning Consult Poll -- done between June 10th and 12th of a nationwide sample of 2,005 registered voters, with a 2 point margin of error.

Most Voters Blame Trump And Republicans For The Riot

 

The chart above is from a new Morning Consult Poll -- done on January 6th and 7th of a national sample of 1,986 registered voters, with a 2 point margin of error.

It shows that a majority of registered voters blame the rioters (80%), Donald Trump (63%), and the Republicans in Congress (52%) for the rioters breaking into and vandalizing the Capitol Building.

Should Trump Employees Be Blamed For Damage He's Done?

Were the people employed in the Trump administration just good people trying to do the best job they could? Do they deserve any blame for the substantial damage Trump has been able to do to the United States and its citizens (and reputation)?

Here's part of what Jennifer Rubin has to say about that in The Washington Post:

Former White House chief of staff John F. Kelly told the Atlantic: “The vast majority of people who worked in the White House were decent people who were doing the best they could to serve the nation.” He added, “They’ve unfortunately paid quite a price for that in reputation and future employment. They don’t deserve that. They deserve better than that, because they kept the train from careening off the tracks.”

This is dead wrong. These people are not victims. Their reputations have been besmirched for the best of reasons: They participated in an administration unparalleled in its corruption, meanness, racism and authoritarianism.

The excuse that things would have been worse without White House aides is weak, at best. Would we have lost even more than the 312,000 Americans who died from covid-19 if not for them? Would we have been even more lax in failing to respond to Russia’s interference in our election, its bounties on U.S. troops or its hacking of our government?

Self-congratulatory aides did not stop the child-separation policy. Nor did they prevent Trump from trying to delegitimize the election. Or from lying about hush money to pay off an adult-film actress. Or from failing to warn the public early on that covid-19 was far worse than the flu. Or from refusing to wear a mask. Or from encouraging Chinese President Xi Jinping in his efforts to place millions of Uighurs in concentration camps. Or from spewing more than 20,000 lies. Or from extorting Ukraine to manufacture dirt on a political rival. Or from defaming our intelligence community. Or from using tear gas on peaceful protesters outside the White House. I could go on, but you get the point: Their hands are dirty because they enabled a dishonest president and allowed him to continue his reign of chaos, death and authoritarianism. . . .

The notion that a lowly aide is exempt from condemnation because he or she “just” typed memos or “just" made travel arrangements or “just” set up meetings is misguided. When a regime routinely sets out to undermine our democracy, neglect its obligations to defend the Constitution and lie, it must rely on all the middle- and low-level aides to do all the tasks that produce its horrible results. Trump could do what he did because of the John Kellys, the Kayleigh McEnanys, the Kellyanne Conways and many other aides whose names are not familiar to us.

That these people are suffering damage to their credibility and condemnation from their fellow Americans is a positive sign our body politic still retains an appreciation for democracy and a moral compass.

Trump's Approval Drops As He's Blamed For Shutdown

These charts use information contained in the newest CNN / SSRS Poll -- done on January 10th and 11th of a national sample of 848 adults, with a 4.1 point margin of error.

It shows that Donald Trump is not doing himself any good by shutting down the government, and refusing to open it until he gets money for his border wall. His job approval has dropped back down to only 37% while 57% disapprove -- a negative gap of 20 points. And note that every demographic group disapproves (although among men the disapproval is within the margin of error).

The bottom two charts show why. About 55% say Trump is responsible for the government shutdown, while only 32% blame Democrats -- a negative gap for Trump of 23 points. And all demographic groups agree that Trump is to blame.

Polls Agree - Public Blames Trump For The Shutdown

The Reuters / Ipsos Poll was done between January 1st and 7th of a national sample of 2,203 adults, with a 2 point margin of error.

The Economist / YouGov Poll was done between January 6th and 8th of a national sample of 1,500 adults, with a 3.1 point margin of error.

The Politico / Morning Consult Poll was done between January 4th and 6th of a national sample of 1,989 registered voters, with a 2 point margin of error.

Since shutting down the government over his demand for $5 billion to start building his border wall, Donald Trump has done his best to shift blame for the shutdown to Democrats. It's not working. As these polls show, most Americans blame Trump (and the GOP) for the shutdown. Only Trump's base thinks the Democrats are to blame.

Trump Approval Drops As He Is Blamed For Shutdown

If Trump was hoping that he could increase his approval by shutting down the government (and trying to blame Democrats), then he was spectacularly wrong. Since he shut down the government, his job approval gas dropped by 4 points (from 43% to 39%) and his disapproval has risen by 6 points (from 50% to 56%).

That's be cause about 50% blame Trump (43%) and the Republicans (7%) for the shutdown. Only 31% (about the size of Trump's base) blame the Democrats.

These charts are from a new Morning Consult Poll -- done between December 21st and 23rd of a national sample of 1,992 registered voters, with a 2 point margin of error.

Trump Tries To Blame Fed Chairman For His Own Mistakes

From The New York Times:

President Trump has unabashedly hitched his political fortunes to a rising stock market. Now, with stock prices in retreat, he has become increasingly fixated on the idea that one man is to blame for the recent rout: Jerome H. Powell, chairman of the Federal Reserve.

After the Fed raised its benchmark interest rate on Wednesday, the fifth consecutive quarterly increase, Mr. Trump fretted to aides that Mr. Powell would “turn me into Hoover,” a reference to the man who was president in the early years of the Great Depression.

Mr. Trump has said choosing Mr. Powell for the Fed job last year was the worst mistake of his presidency, and he has asked aides whether he has the power to fire him.

Donald Trump is talking about the Stock Market. He has bragged about the Stock Market since taking office, using it as his only predictor of how good the economy is doing. It's not that good an indicator of economic well-being, but it does show what the investor class thinks of the economy -- and a crash of the market can affect the entire economy (as it did in 1929 and 2007).

While Trump was happy to take credit when the Stock Market was doing well, now that it's going down he wants to put all the blame on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome H. Powell. Powell did raise interest rates slightly to ward off inflation. That raise would likely just have caused a temporary and small blip on the market, and things would have quickly returned to normal (just as it has many times in the past when the rate was raised).

On December 24th, the Stock Market closed at 21,792 for the Dow Jones average. It dropped 653 points -- the biggest Christmas Eve drop in this nation's history. Currently, it is 3,032 points below where it was on January 2 of 2018 -- and 5,036 points below the market's high for 2018.

Could Trump wind up looking as bad as Hoover? I think it's a distinct possibility, but it won't be caused by anything done by the Federal Reserve. The real problem with the market right now is because of Trump. The market likes stability, and that's something the Trump administration seems incapable of providing.

Far more worrying for Wall Street than the small interest rate hike is the tariff/trade war initiated by Trump, the ballooning deficit and national debt caused by his tax cuts, his attacks on our allies and coddling of our enemies, and the continuing chaos reigning in the White House.

Trump may indeed be looked at as the new Hoover in another year or two, but it won't be because of the Federal Reserve. It will be because of the ridiculous mistakes and policy blunders of Trump himself. He is his own worst enemy.

Trump Must Share The Blame For Saudi Journalist's Death

(Photo of Trump with the Saudi crown prince is from Young Herald.)

Most modern U.S. presidents (of both parties) have promoted democracy around the world -- and part of that was support for a free and unfettered press in every country. Donald Trump has done just the opposite. While criticizing our democratic allies, he has demonstrated a fawning respect for dictators around the world. And he has demonized the free press as an "enemy of the people".

Saudi Arabia (one of the world's most undemocratic countries) saw this, and it encouraged them to murder a journalist who exposed their shortcomings. They knew that could do this with no retaliation from the Trump administration. In my opinion, that means Trump has some of the blood from the slain journalist on his hands.

Here is how Brian Klaas describes it in an op-ed for The Washington Post:

On Oct. 2, Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. His Turkish fiancée waited outside for what should have been a routine appointment.

She’s still waiting. Khashoggi hasn’t been seen since.

The mystery lingers, but the mounting evidence points to a plot orchestrated by the Saudi government to silence one of its most prominent critics. The Turkish government claims to have evidence that a 15-member “assassination squad” arrived in Turkey to murder and dismember Khashoggi. The Turkish media has released images showing these 15 men, in what they say is clear evidence of the Saudi plot to ensure that Khashoggi would never write another Post column again. The Saudi government, as you’d expect, denies all allegations of wrongdoing.

This harrowing saga has two main dimensions: Saudi brutality, certainly, but it also underscores the ways in which President Trump’s fawning dictator worship, his pervasive conflicts of interest and his attacks on the media have emboldened authoritarian regimes to viciously silence their critics.

Let’s start with the obvious: Saudi Arabia is a pitiless and despotic regime. Homosexuality, atheism, adultery and “sorcery” are all still punishable by death. The authorities chop off the heads of dissidents who speak their minds. Many executions are carried out publicly, with heads bagged and hung alongside the corpse, which is nailed to a cross and displayed as a warning. The “lucky” ones are just abducted or arrested and left to rot in a jail cell. . . .

Since Trump took office, the Saudi regime has become more brazen. Khashoggi’s disappearance reflects a strategic calculation: They think they can abduct or murder a journalist working for an American news organization without facing serious consequences. So far, they’re right – Trump has only called on them to investigate the disappearance. That weak response comes despite new evidence that “before Khashoggi’s disappearance, U.S. intelligence intercepted communications of Saudi officials discussing a plan to capture him.”

Worse, it’s likely that Trump’s finances and his rhetoric contributed to Saudi Arabia’s decision to green-light their barefaced conspiracy to silence Khashoggi.

Trump’s despicable dictator worship sends an unequivocal signal that the man in the Oval Office doesn’t just tolerate dictators and authoritarian despots, but admires them. Two weeks ago, Trump said he “fell in love” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Trump has praised Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Xi Jinping of China, Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, Vladimir Putin of Russia and, of course, the current Saudi ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Since 1928, every U.S. president has made his first foreign trip to Mexico, Canada, France, Belgium, Britain or Germany. Trump’s first trip was to Saudi Arabia, where he did a sword dance alongside officials who behead dissidents with swords.

Furthermore, Trump’s foreign policy toward Saudi Arabia is compromised by deep financial conflicts of interest. His business interests — past, present, and future — make it impossible for him to contemplate the kind of consequences that the Saudis deserve. In 1991, when Trump was $900 million in debt, he was bailed out by a member of the Saudi royal family, who purchased his 281-foot yacht, Trump Princess. Trump’s other princess, Ivanka, is married to Jared Kushner, who has deep ties to the crown prince. In 2015, when asked about his relationship with the Saudis, Trump said: “I get along great with all of them. They buy apartments from me. They spend $40 million, $50 million. Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much.”

As recently as December 2016, Trump owned companies in Saudi Arabia, as he sought to build a hotel there. Three days after Trump’s inauguration, lobbyists working for the Saudi government funnelled $270,000 directly to the Trump Organization by booking rooms at his Washington hotel. More recently, Trump’s flagging Manhattan hotel got bailed outthanks to a lucrative visit from none other than the Saudi crown prince.

It raises the disturbing possibility that Saudi Arabia will get away with abduction or murder because the president is beholden to Saudi money.

Finally, Trump’s attacks on the media are endangering the lives not just of Khashoggi but of journalists globally.

Trump Kills DACA Deal And Tries To Blame Democrats

When Trump met at the White House with both Republicans and Democrats a few days ago, he urged them to negotiate a compromise on DACA. He told them he would sign whatever compromise they brought him. He LIED.

Just a couple of days later, several senators brought him a negotiated agreement that they thought could pass the Senate. Trump killed it. He didn't like it because it didn't give him the money for a wall on the southern border, and because it protected some immigrants from non-white countries (which he called "shithole" countries).

Now he has told the press that DACA is probably dead because Democrats don't want it, and aren't willing to negotiate a compromise. That's nonsense. For Trump, a compromise means they should knuckle under and submit to what he wants (agree to his bigoted and racist desires).

I guess he thinks the public will forget that it was him (not Democrats) that killed the DACA program with an executive order -- and it was him (not congressional Dems and GOP) that refused to accept a negotiated compromise.

Well, the public is not that stupid. They know who cares about the Dreamers, and who doesn't. Note in the chart above that 70% of the public says Trump does not care about the Dreamers (and 68% say the same of his GOP cohorts in Congress). And they believe the opposite of Democrats -- with 60% saying those congressional Democrats do care about the needs of Dreamers.

Trump can try to blame the Democrats for his own failures, but the public is not buying it.

The chart above uses information from a new Economist / YouGov Poll -- done on January 8th and 9th of a random national sample of 1,500 adults, with a margin of error of 3.3 points.

Public Perception Of The Parties In The 115th Congress

These charts were made from information contained in a new Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between October 29th and 31st of a random national sample of 1,500 adults (including 1,291 registered voters), with a margin of error of 3 points.

The public is not thrilled with either of the political parties in Congress, but they have a slightly more favorable opinion of Democrats (by 11 points) and a slightly more unfavorable opinion of Republicans (by 12 points). They also blame the Republicans more for the current dysfunction of Congress.