In the aftermath of the midterm elections, in which the Democratic Party seized control of the House of Representatives, just three-in-ten Americans say they would like to see President Donald Trump win a second term in the White House — the latest hint at how the incumbent could fare in his re-election bid in 2020.
A new Monmouth University poll published Wednesday found that, while the president's approval rating remain fairly steady, only 37 percent of registered voters want to see Trump re-elected, compared to 58 percent of registered voters who want someone new in the Oval Office come January 2021. Those who do not want to see Trump re-elected for a second term predictably varies by party, but 16 percent — not an insignificant number — of Republicans say Trump should be a one-term president, according to the poll, while 92 percent of Democrats and 58 percent of independents said the same.
"It's interesting that the number of Americans who feel Trump deserves re-election is actually smaller than the number who give him a positive job rating," Patrick Murray, the director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, said in a statement. "It seems that some Americans are OK with Trump as president now but feel that four years might be enough."
With the midterm election bringing a change in House leadership, most Americans would like the new Congress to keep Trump in check — 52 percent say it should be a major priority of the 116th Congress, while 20 percent say it should be a minor priority. Only 25 percent say that Congress should not prioritize being a check on the president come January. Even 54 percent of Republicans join the 92 percent of Democrats and 68 percent of independents in saying that keeping Trump in check should be at least a minor priority of the new Congress.
At the same time, the poll finds that most Americans feel that Democrats taking over the House of Representatives would impact the way Washington works, but they do not agree on which direction that will take. While a sizable minority of Americans — 28 percent — say that Washington would change for the better, 16 percent say it will change for the worse, with 11 percent unsure of what form the change will take. Meanwhile, 42 percent of Americans think that the flip in House control would not have much effect at all on how Washington works.
"The new Democratic majority in the House has to perform a bit of a balancing act," Murray said. "Most Americans want Congress to rein in Trump's excesses, but it has to be done in a way that does not look too partisan."
The poll also reveals that few Americans want to impeach the president. Just 36 percent feel that Trump should be impeached and removed from office, while 59 percent disagree. Monmouth says these results are in line with prior polls over the past year when it has asked this question.
The Monmouth University Poll of 802 adults in the U.S. was conducted by telephone from Nov. 9 through Nov. 12, just days after Election Day. The margin of error for total respondents is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
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