Who are the voters behind Trump's higher approval ratings?
NEW YORK • Pittsburgh voter Justin Penn, who calls himself politically independent, favoured Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden in a match-up with President Donald Trump - until recently.
The President's performance during the coronavirus outbreak has Mr Penn reconsidering. "I think he's handled it pretty well," he said of Mr Trump, whose daily White House appearances he catches on Facebook after returning from his job as a bank security guard.
"I think he's tried to keep people calm," he said. "I know some people don't think he's taking it seriously, but I think he's doing the best with the information he had."
Mr Penn, 40, who did not vote for Mr Trump, said he very well might back him for a second term.
Across the country, the coronavirus has caused more than 150,000 people to fall ill, cost millions their jobs and tanked the stock market. Yet Mr Trump's approval ratings are as high as they have ever been, despite what most agree to be his slow performance dealing with the crisis, as well as his record of falsehoods about the virus, his propensity to push ideas and treatments that contradict expert advice, and his habit of lashing out at governors on the front lines.
While public perceptions are fluid in a crisis, a notable twist in polling at this point is that independents are driving Mr Trump's bump in approval, and some increased Democratic support is a factor as well.
Gallup called that "highly unusual for Trump" in reporting its latest survey, which was released last week and showed Mr Trump's approval rating at 49 per cent, equal to the best of his presidency.
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