Rasmussen Poll: Trump Approval at 53 Percent

President Donald Trump makes an announcement in the White House Rose Garden in Washington on Jan. 25, 2019. Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times

President Donald Trump’s approval rating reached 53 percent, according to a polling firm on April 9.

Rasmussen Reports, which Trump often cites, showed that 53 percent approve of the job he’s doing and 45 percent disapprove.

“The latest figures include 37% who strongly approve of the job Trump is doing and 36% who strongly disapprove,” according to the pollster.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk off Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on March 31, 2019. Tasos Katopodis-Pool/Getty Images

On April 8, Trump’s rating was around 51 percent, Rasmussen said.

Former President Barack Obama had a 47 percent approval rating around the same time during his first term, according to data published by Rasmussen.

It comes just two days after Trump announced that Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen will be leaving her position, saying he “would like to thank her for her service.”

Trump on Twitter announced that Kevin McAleenan, the current U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner, will become the acting DHS secretary. “I have confidence that Kevin will do a great job,” he tweeted.

The next day, on April 8, the White House confirmed that Secret Service chief Randolph “Tex” Alles would be leaving.

“United States Secret Service director Randolph ‘Tex’ Alles has done a great job at the agency over the last two years, and the president is thankful for his over 40 years of service to the country,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said. “Mr. Alles will be leaving shortly and President Trump has selected James M. Murray, a career member of the USSS, to take over as director beginning in May.”

Alles’s wife, Sarah Alles, told reporters yesterday: “We’re very proud of the Secret Service. The agents are very professional, so pleased he was able to serve. They serve the nation well,” according to CBS News.

President Donald Trump(2nd-R) with Vice President Mike Pence(L) as former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden(R) look on Trump's inauguration ceremonies at the US Capitol in Washington, on Jan. 20, 2017. Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

Meanwhile, on April 9, the president announced he’s nominating the Air Force general in charge of U.S. Strategic Command to be vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reported The Associated Press.

Gen. John Hyten now serves as commander of the U.S. nuclear forces and has the lead military role for space operations. His nomination was announced Tuesday by Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson.

If confirmed by the Senate, Hyten would succeed the retiring Air Force Gen. Paul Selva.

The vice chairman is the second-ranking military officer behind the chairman but does not command troops.

Rasmussen says that its daily tracking results are collected through phone surveys of 500 likely voters each night before they are reported on a three-day rolling average basis.

“To reach those who have abandoned traditional landline telephones, Rasmussen Reports uses an online survey tool to interview randomly selected participants from a demographically diverse panel,” it says.

The pollster’s margin of error for its full sample of 1,500 likely voters is plus-or-minus 2.5 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.