Supporters of former President Barack Obama like to talk about his administration like it was the second coming of Camelot — and in the same breath, they’ll tell you that President Donald Trump is some divisive figure who is tearing America apart.
The only problem? It’s all garbage.
Because a new poll PROVES that Obama was MUCH more divisive than Trump — and it’s not even close.
According to research firm Rasmussen, Trump is more popular at this point in his presidency than Obama was.
For the past week, despite a barrage of negative press coverage, Trump’s approval rating has been hovering at or just slightly below 50%, Rasmussen reports.
Two years into his presidency, Obama was at 46%.
But here’s where things get REALLY interesting…
Thirty-six percent of respondents strongly approve of the job Trump is doing, compared to 39% who strongly disapprove. That gives Trump a “Presidential Approval Index” of -3.
During this same point in his presidency, Obama had a Presidential Approval Index of -12.
People were MUCH more likely to strongly disapprove of Obama.
Trump has faced a non-stop assault from the media since the day he assumed the presidency. Meanwhile, the press treated Obama with kid gloves, ignoring his scandals and instead focusing on his Hawaiian vacations or First Lady Michelle Obama’s latest fashions.
And Trump is STILL more popular than Obama.
Even more importantly, the Rasmussen polling shows that the public was much more divided over Obama. At this point in his presidency, Obama was clearly a more divisive figure than Trump.
So maybe it’s time to stop pretending that Obama was some great unifying force… or that there weren’t riots in cities across America during his presidency.
The notion that Obama brought people together more successfully than Trump is revisionist history… and, as the numbers show, a total lie.
— David Martin is a reporter for The Horn News.