BRIT BOUNCE
Donald Trump’s approval rating soars to highest level in two years after success of UK visit
PRESIDENT Trump’s approval ratings in the US have soared to their highest level in two years following the success of his state visit to the UK.
The US leader touched down this week to hold meetings with the prime minister and attend a state banquet with the Queen.
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A Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll survey found that 48 per cent of American approved of the job the president was doing, a two-year high and up from 46 per cent at the start of May.
The rating was boosted by voter optimism about Trump’s handling of the US economy, with approval of his approach to employment at 62 per cent, the highest level of his presidency.
The new polling was released in the wake of the president’s recent visit to the UK, a trip that went more smoothly that many had expected.
Donald Trump heaps praise on Theresa May saying 'she's probably a better negotiator than me'
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Trump was cordial and stuck to protocol in meetings with the royal family, having caused a stir on his last visit by walking in front of the Queen while inspecting the guard at Windsor Castle.
He reiterated a pledge that the UK could secure a trade deal with the US after it leaves the European Union, and in a speech to the state banquet at Buckingham Palace praised the “eternal friendship of our people”.
The Queen, in turn, praised the role of the two countries in creating an assembly of international institutions that would ensure "the horrors of conflict would never be repeated".
TRUMP'S ACHIEVEMENTS
Donald Trump officially transitioned from reality TV star to 45th president of the United States nearly two and a half years ago. Despite a tumultuous period in office and the loss of control of the lower chamber of Congress late last year, Trump has some achievements to point to as his 2020 presidential campaign gets under way.
- The US economy continues to perform strongly. GDP growth has risen each year of the last three, and the US stock market recently hit an all-time high.
- Unemployment also remains low. It currently stands at 3.6 per cent, the lowest level recorded since 1969.
- The president's slogan, Make America Great Again, has met a mixed reception around the world, but his trade war with China will play well with his base in the rust belt states, whose manufacturing industries have declined as China has risen.
- In 2017, Trump introuced a package of tax cuts worth an estimated $1.5 trillion. Moves like that help keep the mainstream of the Republican Party, with whom he has had a fractious relationship, on side.
On the first day of the visit, Trump attended a service at Westminster Abbey in honour of soldiers who died in the two world wars as well as more recent conflicts.
He became only the third American president, after George W. Bush and Barack Obama, to be granted a state visit to the UK, and faced smaller protests on the streets of London than had been expected.
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The visit wasn’t without its controversies.
Minutes before touching down in the UK, the president sent out a tweet attacking London Mayor Sadiq Khan as a “stone cold loser”.
He also told a press conference held jointly with Theresa May that “everything is on the table” when asked whether a US-UK trade deal would need to give private U.S. companies access to the NHS.
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The Queen, Theresa May and US President Donald Trump honour veterans at a D-day ceremony in Portsmouth
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