Trump said on Sept. 12 that he plans to send the National Guard to Memphis as the next step in his push against crime. He had already deployed the Guard in Washington, D.C., in early August, insisting it was necessary even though crime rates there had been trending lower.
Because the president has unique authority over the D.C. Guard, unlike in states where governors normally control deployment, he didn’t face the same hurdles.
Over the following weeks, Trump openly considered sending troops to Chicago, calling it a “hell hole” overrun with crime. But Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker made it clear he wouldn’t allow it.
Trump then shifted focus to Tennessee, saying state leaders were on board. “The mayor is happy … the governor is happy,” he said during an appearance on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.” He added, “Deeply troubled, we’re gonna fix that just like we did in Washington. I would have preferred going to Chicago.”
Morning Consult’s Sept. 5 update shows Trump holds positive approval ratings in 25 states, down by two from the previous month. North Carolina and Nevada moved into net-negative territory since August. Georgia is now the only 2024 swing state where Trump’s approval is above water, while Arizona sits at an even split.
In Tennessee, where he says the Guard will be sent next, Trump enjoys one of his strongest state-level numbers. Morning Consult found 58 percent of voters there approve of his performance, while 38 percent disapprove. That’s his sixth-best showing nationwide. In Illinois, by contrast, only 41 percent approve while 55 percent disapprove, making it his 11th-worst state.
Nationally, Morning Consult’s survey of 2,201 registered voters from Sept. 6-8 showed 45 percent approve of Trump’s job performance compared with 52 percent who disapprove. RealClearPolitics’ poll average also shows his approval took a dip through July, reached a low point, and then steadied in recent weeks. The New York Times’ polling aggregator paints a similar picture.
Trump’s approval ratings have had a rough year. On Jan. 27, RealClearPolitics showed him at +6.2 points. By March 13, he was slightly negative, and on April 29, his approval sank to -7.2 points, one of the lowest points of his presidency at the 100-day mark. That same negative territory returned in late July, hitting -7.1 points on July 22 and 23 as the Jeffrey Epstein scandal dominated headlines.
As of Sept. 12, RealClearPolitics puts his approval margin at -5.5 points, while the New York Times’ aggregator lists it at -8 points. Gallup’s long-term analysis shows Trump’s August approval ratings in his first years in office — both as the 45th and 47th president — are lower than any modern president at the same stage. Gallup’s August survey found just 40 percent of Americans approved of his job performance.