Poll: Trump’s Approval Rating Hits High for 2019 After Impeachment Talk

President Donald Trump speaks during the Armed Forces Welcome Ceremony in honor of the Twentieth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at Summerall Field, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia, on Sept. 30, 2019. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

In a new poll, President Donald Trump’s approval rating hit the highest mark this year despite the talk of impeachment.

A poll from HarrisX on Oct. 2 showed his approval rating is at 49 percent—the highest in 2019. It’s a 2-point increase from a poll carried out in mid-September.

The survey was carried out on Sept. 28 and 29, which is a few days after House Democrats said they would launch an impeachment inquiry against him over concerns raised by a whistleblower about his communications with the Ukrainian president.

The HarrisX researchers surveyed some 1,000 registered voters across the United States, and the margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Meanwhile, a daily tracking poll from Rasmussen Reports also found that Trump had a 47 percent approval rating, down 2 points from last Thursday, Sept. 26.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) speak during a press conference in the House Studio of the US Capitol in Washington on Sept. 2, 2019. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

According to Rasmussen, former President Obama’s approval rating was 44 percent on Oct. 3, 2011, or around the same time in his first term as president.

Trump’s requests for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate Biden were at the center of a whistleblower complaint that sparked the impeachment effort last week. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

In a July phone call, namely, he asked Zelenskiy to investigate Biden and his son over allegations of corruption. Hunter Biden was on the board of a Ukrainian energy company.

House GOP Leader McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Thursday called on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to suspend the inquiry until “rules and procedures are established.”

In a letter to the speaker (pdf), McCarthy said, “Unfortunately, you have given no clear indication as to how your impeachment inquiry will proceed — including whether key historical precedents or basic standards of due process will be observed.”

Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in a file photo. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

“In addition, the swiftness and recklessness with which you have proceeded has already resulted in committee chairs attempting to limit minority participation in scheduled interviews, calling into question the integrity of such an inquiry,” he continued.

Another Phone Call

Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that a phone call he had with Trump was a  “simple granting of a very reasonable request” to a “trusted and respected ally.”

“It wouldn’t matter which president was conducting this investigation … it would be extraordinary for a prime minister to deny what was a very straightforward request,” SBS News reported on Thursday.

He also said that “we’re not the subject of the investigation” and “it’s a matter for U.S. domestic politics.”

Morrison’s phone call with Trump was the subject of questions last week after it was revealed the president asked him to help Attorney General William Barr in tracking down information regarding the origins of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation about whether Russia interfered in the 2016 election.