Polls: Trump’s approval ratings are ticking up

After seven months of declining approval ratings, President Donald Trump has turned it around, ticking slightly upward over the past month in two new polls.

Gallup’s daily poll finds Trump’s approval rating is at 38 percent, noting an increase by 1 percentage point every week for the past month. A Politico/Morning Consult poll puts Trump’s approval rating at 43 percent, up from 39 percent last month.

Trump’s approval ratings are still significantly lower, historically, than other presidents in their first year, according to Politico. Still, the polls suggest that among Republicans and independents, and among those with college and advanced degrees, Trump is picking up some support.

Gallup found:

Among college graduates, his approval has jumped 7 points; among those with advanced degrees, it’s up 10.

And according to Politico/Morning Consult:

Trump was at 80 percent approval among Republican voters — up from 73 percent at his low-water mark. Among independents, Trump has bounced five points, from 35 percent to 40 percent. Trump’s approval rating was virtually unchanged among Democratic voters, however.

It’s hard to say why Trump is improving with the public. The Washington Post suggests that the Gallup poll numbers reflect Trump’s response to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The Politico write up of the Politico/Morning Consult poll attributes the boost to his bipartisan deals with Democratic congressional leadership.

With health care, North Korea tensions, budget negotiations, and post-hurricane recovery on deck, the question for Trump is whether he’ll be able to navigate those big challenges while keeping up his trajectory.