Strong support for Trump is waning among Republicans

Tehran - BORNA - The shift suggests that while overall Republican backing for Trump remains high, the intensity of that support has weakened.

Newsweek, citing the Reuters/Ipsos findings, reported that with fewer than 10 weeks remaining before the November midterm elections, some Trump supporters appear less enthusiastic about his performance than they were earlier in the year.

That matters because Trump’s political strength has long depended not only on broad Republican support, but also on the depth of enthusiasm among his base.

According to the poll, the share of Republicans who strongly approve of Trump’s job performance fell from 49% in January to 35% in August.

At the same time, the proportion of Republicans who somewhat approve of his performance rose from 37% to 47%.

Overall Republican approval remained high, slipping only slightly from 85% to 82%.

Trump’s influence over the Republican Party has often rested on a highly committed base capable of shaping primary elections and exerting pressure on elected officials.

The Reuters/Ipsos data suggest that broad Republican loyalty to Trump remains largely intact, but the intensity underlying that loyalty has weakened.

The balance between strong and moderate approval has also reversed.

In January, Republicans who strongly approved of Trump clearly outnumbered those who only somewhat approved of him. By August, the opposite was true.

A Reuters/Ipsos “Core Political” poll conducted from Jan. 23 to 25 found that 49% of Republicans strongly approved of Trump’s performance, while 37% somewhat approved.

Overall Republican approval stood at 85%, with 15% disapproving. The survey included 1,139 US adults, among them 340 Republicans.

Throughout much of Trump’s political career, the overall level of Republican support has told only part of the story. The intensity of that backing has been just as important.

That is what makes the Reuters/Ipsos trend notable: Republicans have not abandoned Trump in large numbers, but fewer of them now express the same level of strong enthusiasm for his presidency.

In January, 49% of Republicans strongly approved of Trump. By August, that figure had fallen to 35%.

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