States with the highest and lowest Trump approval ratings
States with the highest and lowest Trump approval ratings
President Trump's popularity with everyday Americans has been newsworthy since he was sworn into office. He started his presidency with the lowest approval rating of an incoming president since those numbers were first gathered; and, in comparison to where previous presidents stood two years into their first term, Trump's popularity is still below average.
Still, those comparisons don't tell the whole story. Stacker took a look at Morning Consult's polls, which track Trump's approval in every state and Washington D.C., and ranked the states from the lowest to highest according to their latest polling in December of 2018. Ties were broken by the highest disapproval percentage. If both are the same, the ranking favors states with the smallest net change in ratings from January 2017 to December 2018.
Trump's approval rating mostly falls along party lines: On average, 84% of Republicans approve of Trump's job performance, compared to around 7% of Democrats. Other factors that correlate with Trump approval rates include race, geography, and religion: concentrated populations of white, rural, and Christian in the South and Midwest tend to support Trump; while people of color, millennials and college grads in coastal states with big cities tend to disapprove of the President.
Trump's stance on controversial topics have led some to break with Republicans by joining #TheResistance and voting Democrat in the 2018 midterms; however, his stance also drew others closer to the fold in favor of electing Republicans who want to further the White House's agenda. Read on to see how your state feels about the president— and which states in the South and Midwest are the ones to watch in the 2020 presidential campaign.
#51. District of Columbia
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 17% (13 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 79% (18 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -31 percentage points
Donald Trump's place of residence also been the source of his most vocal opposition since the start of his presidency. He only won 4% of the vote in the District, where Trump's disapproval rating has been twice as low as any state (and has only gotten worse since he took office). The capital is currently suing Trump over profits from a hotel he owns in the city, which attorneys general allege violate the constitutional mandate that the president does not take money from foreign governments.
#50. Vermont
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 33% (10 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 64% (19 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -29 percentage points
Once a Republican stronghold, Vermont became increasingly liberal as people moved to the tiny state from cities like Boston and New York. One of Vermont's senators is progressive 2016 Democratic primary candidate Bernie Sanders, but the state's popular Republican governor kept his seat in 2018. Trump's policies—including disagreements with Canada, Vermont's biggest international trading partner—have proven to be unpopular.
#49. Massachusetts
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 33% (10 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 62% (15 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -25 percentage points
Massachusetts residents' love for Republican Gov. Charlie Baker has made him one of the most popular governors in the country, but the sentiment does not carry over for President Trump. His unpopularity in Massachusetts drove up midterm turnout in a liberal state where many elections already had clear winners. The state's attorney general has signed onto dozens of lawsuits against the administration, while families who were separated at the border now living in the state have filed their own suits.
#48. California
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 33% (9 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 62% (14 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -23 percentage points
In President Trump's first year in office, the state of California filed 24 lawsuits in 17 subject areas against the administration. Trump has fought back with moves such as trying to stop the state from requiring stricter emissions standards for vehicles. The relationship isn't likely to improve soon: recently elected Gov. Gavin Newsom has promised that he will use a “more aggressive and in-your-face” approach to deal with the president.
#47. Hawaii
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 34% (4 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 62% (11 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -15 percentage points
In Hawaii, 80% of elected officials identify as Democrats. The Trump administration's ongoing efforts to roll back regulations that protect the environment aren't likely to help his numbers in the Aloha state, as the islands are among the most vulnerable to effects of climate change. Hawaii has gone on the offensive across several fronts, including suing the administration over its travel ban.
#46. Maryland
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 34% (4 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 62% (11 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -15 percentage points
There are twice as many of Democrats as Republicans in Maryland, leading popular Republican Gov. Larry Hogan to maintain his support from Democrats by steering away from Trump. The city of Baltimore filed a lawsuit against the administration in December 2018 over immigrants' access to public benefits—important in a state in which one in seven residents is foreign-born.
#45. New York
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 36% (13 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 59% (18 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -31 percentage points
New York City may be Trump's hometown, but that didn't help much in the 2016 election when 79% of residents in the five boroughs voted for Hillary Clinton. The rest of the state tends to lean Republican. though the president's approval ratings have slipped even among those supporters; the state's Senate lost its Republican majority in the 2018 midterm elections. The newly united Democratic state government has outlined a new agenda that conflicts with that of the president.
#44. Washington
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 36% (9 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 59% (15 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -24 percentage points
Washington became a bit bluer in 2018 as Democrats expanded their majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee has proposed new policies to protect the environment, pushing back against he sees as “inaction” by the administration. Inslee has also announced his candidacy for the 2020 presidential election.
#43. Oregon
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 37% (8 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 59% (16 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -24 percentage points
Oregon's governor has proposed a budget to set aside $4 million to fight Trump's policies, including funds for the 2018 lawsuit protesting new rules that require cities and states to help with federal immigration enforcement. In Congress, Oregon hopes to work with the White House on infrastructure and transportation projects.
#42. Illinois
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 37% (12 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 58% (18 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -30 percentage points
Trump has commented on Chicago's gun violence problem in speeches and Tweets, but his calls for more intense policing put him at odds with city leaders advocating for reform. Trump's trade war with China has also been a contentious topic for Illinois, where some manufacturing jobs have come back while others have been cut and store prices have gone up to the disapproval of many voters.
#41. Connecticut
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 38% (9 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 58% (16 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -25 percentage points
Republicans flipped a reliably blue Connecticut county in the 2016 presidential election, but the liberal state still elected a Democratic governor and increased the party's majorities in the state house, which plans to implement paid family leave and a $15 minimum wage. Trump has also sparred with Senator Richard Blumenthal, who leads almost 200 Democratic lawmakers in a lawsuit claiming the president violated the Constitution by not getting consent from Congress before accepting payments from foreign governments.
#40. New Mexico
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 38% (14 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 57% (22 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -36 percentage points
Once considered a swing state, New Mexico's large Hispanic and Native American populations have cemented the state's status as reliably blue since the 2012 election. Races are still tight, but the 2018 midterms left New Mexico with a unified Democratic legislature. As a border state, New Mexico officials have worked to fight some of President Trump's key immigration policies and is fighting the sale over land needed to erect the border wall.
#39. Rhode Island
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 38% (4 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 57% (11 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -15 percentage points
Rhode Island attempted to force the president to release his tax returns, which became a source of political conflict after Trump became the first candidate in 40 years to not share them with the public. Democrats across the country argue that the returns would offer transparency in Trump's business dealings and possible conflicts of interest. The bill, which ultimately failed, would have prevented any candidate who has not released his or her returns from the last five years from appearing on the presidential ballot.
#38. New Jersey
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 39% (7 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 57% (13 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -20 percentage points
New Jersey replaced wildly unpopular two-term Gov. Chris Christie in 2017 with Democrat Phil Murphy, an advocate for policies in opposition to Trump's immigration agenda. The state has worked to pass a law that would allow members of the state's large undocumented population to get drivers' licenses. The attorney general also announced new policies that limit the ability of the state police to work with federal immigration authorities.
#37. Delaware
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 40% (9 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 56% (15 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -24 percentage points
Delaware is a blue state known for a brand of moderate politics that appeals to its large number of rural and suburban voters. Though a concentration of Trump-supporting Republicans has kept his approval somewhat higher than in neighboring states, some wealthier Republicans and the state's large Democratic base led to a backlash against the president and huge state-level gains by Democrats in 2018.
#36. Colorado
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 40% (5 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 56% (12 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -17 percentage points
Once a swing state, Colorado has recently gained blue votes because of strategic choices by state Democrats and above-average numbers of college graduates and Hispanics. Voters in the state traditionally elect Republicans to state office and turn down more liberal ballot initiatives, but the state's large number of unaffiliated voters turned out in huge numbers to vote for Democratic candidates in 2018, demonstrating their distaste for Trump's rhetoric at the ballot box.
#35. Minnesota
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 41% (5 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 55% (12 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -17 percentage points
Since voting for Obama in 2008, this Rust Belt state has been trending back toward the GOP; rural voters managed to flip two Congressional seats red in an otherwise successful midterm election for state Democrats. President Trump thinks he can flip the whole state in 2020 and he may be right, thanks to the support of Minnesota's mining and manufacturing workers.
#34. Michigan
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 41% (7 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 53% (13 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -20 percentage points
Donald Trump's narrow win in Michigan was one of the biggest shocks of the 2016 election. It was carried by his popularity from union households, who hoped for a revitalization of a manufacturing industry hard-hit by automation and trade agreements like NAFTA, which he promised to renegotiate. With Democrats reinvigorated by their dislike of the president and the effects of Chinese tariffs being felt across the state, chances of a repeat could be slim.
#33. Wisconsin
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 42% (5 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 54% (13 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -18 percentage points
Wisconsin is another industrial Midwestern state that Trump won on his promises to bring jobs and prosperity back to a region full of people left behind by the economic recovery. Gov. Scott Walker narrowly lost re-election in 2018 for his third term after a campaign focused on illegal immigration and his close relationship with the president: this is evidence that the president's continued support among the state's white working-class voters might be faltering.
#32. Nevada
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 42% (7 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 53% (14 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -21 percentage points
Democrats have been increasing their voice in Nevada politics, thanks to the efforts of former Sen. Harry Reid to turn out urban and Hispanic voters. Those Hispanic voters, who make up a growing chunk of the electorate, claim to be turned off by Trump's harsh immigration policies.
#31. Iowa
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 43% (6 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 53% (13 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -19 percentage points
After voting for Obama twice, Iowans voted for Trump in huge numbers. But in the two years since, many of the state's unaffiliated voters have swung Democratic. Iowa Republicans are also less enthusiastic: even those who do support the president welcome a primary challenge.
#30. Arizona
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 44% (11 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 52% (17 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -28 percentage points
Republicans handily outnumber Democrats in Arizona, but President Trump won the state by the narrowest margin since 1996. The booming Hispanic population in the state dislikes Trump's rhetoric around immigration, and the administration's push for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border has also hurt his popularity in the state.
#29. New Hampshire
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 44% (1 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 52% (8 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -9 percentage points
The conservative views of New Hampshire residents have historically made the state an outlier in mostly liberal New England. Recent migrations from New York and Massachusetts have given liberals more of an edge and pulled down Trump's approval rating, but conservatives in the state are still behind him. Members of the state GOP have pushed to have the neutrality clause dropped from their bylaws so they can support the president if he's challenged in the 2020 primary.
#28. Pennsylvania
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 45% (4 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 51% (12 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -16 percentage points
As in other parts of the Rust Belt, Trump's strong Pennsylvanian support comes from rural parts of the state where there have been steady declines in manufacturing and coal mining. Support by union members has fallen off because of the 2017 tax reform bill and anti-union rhetoric, but Trump's popular steel and aluminum tariffs have helped him maintain a positive image in steel country.
#27. Maine
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 45% (3 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 51% (11 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -14 percentage points
Backlash to President Trump's policies resulted in Maine electing a Democratic governor and Democrats winning majorities in the state House and Senate. Maine gave Trump one of two electoral votes (which the state splits between two districts), but tariffs have hit Maine's lobster industry, peeling off some support.
#26. Florida
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 46% (10 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 49% (15 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -25 percentage points
Florida remains one of Trump's strongest swing states, and one of the few where changing demographics work in his favor. Retirees generally approve of the president and are moving to the state in increasing numbers, while the state's conservative-leaning Cuban-American electorate comes out to vote in higher numbers than other, more liberal Latino groups.
#25. Georgia
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 46% (7 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 49% (14 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -21 percentage points
Many Georgians back Trump wholeheartedly: his endorsement of Brian Kemp helped the Republican secure the GOP primary and eventual governorship. But the state is changing quickly, in large part due to “reverse migration”: huge numbers of African-American voters have moved back to the state after leaving for several decades, and most disapprove of the president.
#24. North Carolina
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 46% (7 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 49% (14 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -21 percentage points
Reliably red North Carolina has become an emerging battleground state in large part because of waning presidential support in the suburbs. Residents have voiced concerns with what they consider unpresidential behavior. What's more, many Republicans in North Carolina have peeled back their approval of President Trump because of their opposition the administration's plan to allow drilling off the North Carolina coast.
#23. Ohio
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 46% (5 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 49% (12 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -17 percentage points
Ohio's many rural voters look to Trump to bring back the factory jobs that made the region thrive after World War II. The president has managed to hang on to many of his supporters here; but as jobs fail to come back and thousands more are laid off, some union workers are losing faith.
#22. Virginia
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 46% (3 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 49% (8 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -11 percentage points
Virginia is politically divided almost perfectly 50/50 by Democratic leanings of the northern Washington D.C. suburbs and metropolitan areas, and the Republican rural South. Numbers saw a slight shift after President Trump's controversial remarks following the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, VA.
#21. Kansas
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 49% (7 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 47% (15 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -22 percentage points
Kansas made headlines during the midterms when voters elected a Democratic governor, the first time the GOP lost a statewide race in more than 10 years. Still, Trump's support in the largely conservative state remains strong. He endorsed early supporter and underdog Kris Kobach just a day before the Republican primary, and that late-breaking endorsement was enough to pull Kobach to victory.
#20. Utah
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 49% (9 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 46% (15 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -24 percentage points
President Trump has continued to hold the approval of most Mormon voters, who comprise about 64% of Utah's residents. Still, Utah has seen one of the biggest drops in presidential approval in the country. GOP state leaders say this has less to do with the president's policies and more to do with his bombastic attitude.
#19. Missouri
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 49% (4 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 46% (12 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -16 percentage points
Missouri has historically been a swing state, straddling historical North/South and Midwest/West frontier divisions. Unlike its northern neighbors, population growth in the state's rural areas has meant increased support for Republicans, including Trump. The president hasn't quite reached a majority approval, however, as urban residents of St. Louis and Kansas City (and some manufacturing workers impacted by Trump's tariffs) say they're disappointed by his policies.
#18. Alaska
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 49% (6 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 45% (14 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -20 percentage points
America's final frontier is rich with natural resources—and Alaskans put their support behind Trump because of his administration's plans to access them. The White House approved a plan to allow oil drilling in federal waters off the coast, which is popular in the state. Not all Alaskans are happy, however. Alaskan native tribes opposed the controversial Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, causing Senator Lisa Murkowski to vote against his confirmation.
#17. Texas
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 49% (5 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 45% (11 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -16 percentage points
Flipping Texas from red to blue has long been a dream of Democrats, especially as the state's Hispanic population continues to grow. Energized by Trump's harsh immigration rhetoric, these voters join young millennials moving to booming urban centers such as Houston and Dallas in their opposition to Trump. But despite lower than average support, most Texans still approval of the president's work: recent lawsuits filed in Texas take aim at ending the Affordable Care Act and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), key items on the Trump administration's agenda.
#16. Montana
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 50% (6 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 46% (14 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -20 percentage points
Montana forms the core of Trump's base, but the president couldn't keep this state from re-electing Democrat Jon Tester to the Senate. The state's voters historically vote by issue not party line, and the Trump administration's push to open public lands to private development has eroded some of his support.
#15. Nebraska
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 52% (4 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 44% (11 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -15 percentage points
Canada and Mexico are the #2 and 3 buyers of Nebraska's agricultural products, and the president's renegotiation of NAFTA helps the state's farmers. Meanwhile, the administration's trade war with China cost the state economy more than $1 billion and hurts sales of Nebraska corn, soybeans, and pork.
#14. Indiana
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 52% (3 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 44% (11 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -14 percentage points
President Trump won praise early in his presidency for striking a deal that kept more than 1,000 manufacturing jobs at an Indiana plant from moving to Mexico, and his focus on revitalizing American manufacturing kept his support strong. The administration's trade policy includes tariffs on steel and aluminum and NAFTA renegotiations that may be enough to keep Rust Belt states like Indiana supporting Trump in 2020.
#13. South Carolina
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 52% (4 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 43% (12 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -16 percentage points
South Carolina's new Republican governor Henry McMaster was the first statewide-elected official to endorse then-candidate Donald Trump in the 2016 primary. Not everyone in the state is happy with the president's agenda, however, as seen in a Democratic upset in the midterms and the attorney general's decision to sue over coastal drilling. South Carolina Republicans may cancel their 2020 primary to show support and help Trump win re-election.
#12. North Dakota
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 52% (4 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 43% (10 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -14 percentage points
Trump's popularity in North Dakota played a key role in the defeat of Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp in the 2018 midterms and allowed the GOP to retain its majority in the chamber. That said, the state's 300,000 soybean farmers' struggles with the effects of bad weather and U.S. trade disputes have moved this state's dial slightly out of Trump's favor.
#11. Arkansas
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 53% (6 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 42% (13 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -19 percentage points
Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, whose fiery rhetoric and conservative views echo those of the president, has been floated as a possible successor to Trump's political legacy. Trump's recent Supreme Court appointments have also helped his popularity in the state. Arkansas legislators plan to pass new abortion restrictions because of the new conservative majority, a popular move in a state where 60% of residents believe abortion should be illegal in most cases.
#10. Idaho
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 53% (6 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 42% (12 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -18 percentage points
His America First rhetoric has made President Trump one of the most popular politicians in Idaho, even as the state's booming international economy feels the pain of the U.S./China trade dispute. The conservative state voted to use the Affordable Care Act to expand Medicaid, despite the Trump administration's desire to repeal the law, but the state backs Trump on most issues, including abortion rights and gun control.
#9. Oklahoma
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 54% (7 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 41% (14 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -21 percentage points
The 2017 tax reform bill afforded Oklahoma's utility companies to lower rates for all customers, putting extra money in the pockets of state residents. Local Native American tribes also appreciated the passage of a bill which made it unnecessary for tribal landholders to have a specific amount of tribal blood. Despite the president's popularity, however, Oklahoma City's Congressional district saw one of the biggest upsets of the 2018 midterms, and many see the Democratic victory there as proof of America's growing urban/rural divide.
#8. Louisiana
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 54% (5 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 41% (13 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -18 percentage points
Gov. John Bel Edwards claims that Trump calls him his “favorite Democrat,” a relationship that will be important if the South's only Democratic governor wants to win re-election in 2019. Trump won the highest vote tally for a single candidate in the state's history, and his support remains steady. One city even banned its recreation department from buying Nike equipment after the company announced Colin Kaepernick, a frequent target of Trump's criticism, as the face of a new ad campaign.
#7. Kentucky
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 55% (6 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 40% (13 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -19 percentage points
In regions of Kentucky like Sandy Hook, where the coal industry's collapse has caused significant economic upheaval, the public's faith in President Trump remains unshaken. The state also ranks high in its support for Trump because his administration approved Kentucky's request to impose work requirements on those receiving Medicaid.
#6. South Dakota
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 55% (1 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 40% (7 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -6 percentage points
As part of America's agricultural heartland, South Dakota faces the most job-related impact from the administration's ongoing trade war with China. Lawmakers from the state have called for things to go back to normal, but voters haven't budged in their opinion of the president even as effects continue to be felt. The Trump administration remains popular because of its approval of the Keystone XL pipeline construction, which it has supported in spite of protests by Native American tribes and environmental groups.
#5. Tennessee
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 56% (5 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 40% (12 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -17 percentage points
Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs caused some countries to retaliate by taxing American products, including Tennessee whiskey, but residents seem willing to wait it out in the hopes of bigger benefits down the line. Other policies are helping the state's economy already; the legalization of hemp in Congress' recent Farm Bill will allow farmers in the state's new and growing CBD and hemp industry to ensure their crops and grow their businesses across state lines.
#4. Mississippi
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 56% (5 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 39% (12 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -17 percentage points
Mississippi's large black population has yet to embrace President Trump. Still, he remains popular among the deeply conservative white voters of a state marked by deep racial divisions. Gov. Phil Bryant recently took to Twitter to encouraged the president to close the southern border during the partial government shutdown, reflecting the relentless support of the president's policies among his constituents.
#3. Alabama
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 58% (4 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 37% (11 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -15 percentage points
A late-breaking scandal helped elect a Democratic senator in a 2017 special election, but it's unclear if those results can be repeated in the ruby-red deep South. Alabama is home to nearly 1 million Southern Baptists, part of the evangelical Christian denomination that voted for the president in huge numbers, and remains strong in its support of him. The state has helped further some of Trump's legislative agenda; legislators passed a law during the midterms which grants the rights of personhood at conception and restricts access to abortion.
#2. West Virginia
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 61% (1 percentage point decrease from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 35% (10 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -11 percentage points
West Virginia began trending Republican during the 2000 presidential election. Many West Virginians disliked the Democratic party's new focus on liberal social issues and blamed the decline of the coal industry on Democratic-led environmental regulation, leading them to vote for GOP candidates for the first time in decades. Trump is known for his vocal support of coal, and has proposed rolling back regulations in the hope of keeping coal plants open.
#1. Wyoming
Trump approval rating in December 2018: 64% (1 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Trump disapproval rating in December 2018: 32% (9 percentage point increase from January 2017)
Change in net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating spread) since January 2017: -8 percentage points
Wyoming residents may have opted out of supporting Donald Trump's preferred candidate in the state's most reason governor's race, but that hasn't stopped voters from supporting the president overall. He remains popular as the state's oil and gas industries have seen a boost thanks to some of the rollbacks of environmental regulation. There are also hopes he may bring back some of the region's coal mining jobs.
