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This is an adapted excerpt from the Oct. 29 episode of “Deadline: White House.”
Donald Trump’s approval rating has hit a new low. According to the latest poll from Economist/YouGov, only 39% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the presidency, while 58% disapprove. The 19-point gap puts the president’s approval at its lowest point since he retook the White House in January.
That number is obviously horrific, but it brings an important question to mind: Who’s going to tell Trump that? Who in his orbit is going to look the president in the eye and say, “You’ve got a real problem, and whatever you’re doing is not working.”
Right now, the president is high on his own arrogance and narcissism. It’s clear he has succeeded in creating an alternative reality for himself, where he thinks he has the wind at his back, nobody can stop him and he’ll get everything that he wants.
Look no further than his comments aboard Air Force One on Wednesday. Trump told reporters that it was “too bad” he couldn’t run for a third term because “the sad thing is, I have my highest numbers that I’ve ever had.”
Every day, it’s becoming clearer that Trump’s populist rhetoric was always just eyewash. He’s not listening to the American people. He’s listening to the billionaires and the millionaires at Mar-a-Lago who are feeding his hubris. So, in Trump’s mind, nothing is wrong.
Trump is bragging about how well he’s doing his job as hundreds of thousands of federal workers continue to miss paychecks and millions are on the brink of losing vital food assistance. Meanwhile, the president was overseas accepting golden crowns from foreign leaders. He has also been busy building a ballroom in the East Wing instead of getting Republicans on Capitol Hill to negotiate to end the shutdown.
However, the numbers we’re seeing might start to put cracks in the president’s alternative reality. If the polling continues to trend in this direction, this is a moment in which Trump’s hubris and arrogance may finally catch up with him.