52% Of Americans Disapprove Of Trump’s Coronavirus Response, Falling 8% In 2 Weeks

President Donald Trump‘s approval numbers regarding his handling of the coronavirus pandemic are dropping, a weekly survey shows.

The most recent ABC News/Ipsos poll, released Friday, found that the majority of respondents (52%) disapprove of Trump’s management of the virus, and only 47% approve. Two weeks ago, the majority (55%) approved of his management.

In those past two weeks, there have been a lot of coronavirus developments which both portray the president in a negative light and underscore the potential severity of the outbreak.

Trump received strong criticism for hesitating to invoke the Defense Production Act, instead trusting companies to put the needs of the country first. He also touted the idea of ending federal social distancing guidelines by Easter, a move that went against the advice of medical professionals and was later walked back.

The number of reported cases in the U.S. has continued to increase, indicating that the virus will not go away as quickly as Trump had initially seemed to believe. Currently, there are over 360,000 cases in the U.S. and nearly 11,000 related deaths.

The administration recently predicted as many as 240,000 Americans could die — even while continuing to follow social distancing guidelines. The death rate is expected to peak in two weeks.

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The poll also showed that more Americans are taking the virus seriously. Nearly all (89%) said they were somewhat or very concerned about being infected by the coronavirus, up from 79% two weeks ago. And the majority of respondents (56%) said they do not expect to resume their regular routine until after July 1.

The April 1-2 poll surveyed 559 adults. Its margin of sampling error is +/-4.8%.

Article by Katherine Huggins