Trump’s Approval Rating Hits Highest Point in 2 Years: Poll

President Donald Trump waits to shake hands with United States Air Force Academy cadets as they receive their diplomas during their graduation ceremony at Falcon Stadium on May 30, 2019 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)

Voter optimism around economic gains made under the current administration has boosted approval of President Donald Trump to its highest rating in two years, according to the latest data from the Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll survey.

The results of the survey, cited by The Hill, and will be posted in full later this week, found that 48 percent approve of the job Trump is doing—an increase of 3 points since the survey’s last result in March.

According to the pollsters, the last time Trump’s approval rating reached 48 percent was in June 2017, near the beginning of his administration.

The economy appears to be the main factor contributing to the rise, with a record 62 percent of registers voters approving of his approach to employment and 59 percent approving of his handling of the economy, the survey said.

A slim majority of 51 percent also said that the economy is heading in the right direction under the Trump administration. Of those surveyed, 71 percent said the economy “is very strong or somewhat strong.”

“People’s views on the economy are gradually pushing Trump’s numbers up and his actions on other issues like China and immigration are neutral to positive,” said Mark Penn, the co-director of the Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll survey. “Every point of increase in this range of 45 to 50 improves the possibility of re-election.”

President Donald Trump answers questions on the comments of special counsel Robert Mueller while departing the White House May 30, 2019 in Washington. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The approval rating captured in the Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll mirrored the results from a May 31 Rasmussen Reports finding which also recorded a 48 percent approval rating among likely U.S. voters. Rasmussen was among the most accurate polls in predicting the 2016 presidential election results.

The Gallup poll recorded that there was “some momentum” for Trump in recent times, according to The Hill.

The results come as Trump announced on May 30 a 5 percent tariff on all goods entering the United States from Mexico.

“The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied, at which time the Tariffs will be removed,“ Trump explained on Twitter. ”Details from the White House to follow.”

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Before the announcement, Trump had teased of an upcoming “major statement” on the border that would be “something very dramatic.”

The Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll online survey was conducted with 1,295 registered voters from May 29 to May 30. The Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll survey is an online sample drawn from the Harris Panel and weighted to reflect known demographics.

Overwhelmed Immigration System

Officials with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) told The Epoch Times on May 19 that migrant families in Texas are being transported to other sectors along the southern border by plane and bus due to “capacity limitations.”

The transportation of migrants, border patrol officials said, is being done to help mitigate the challenges posed by what they described as an “unprecedented number” of people in CBP custody.

Resources were further strained by requirements affecting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to release migrant family units from detention “within 20 days of their arrival.” Border Patrol officials had apprehended over 500,000 illegal aliens on the southern border as of May 10.

“To address this critical operational challenge, and to ensure the safety of individuals in our custody, on May 10, CBP began transporting unprocessed family units across southern border sectors to leverage available capacity for processing and holding,” a CBP official told The Epoch Times via email.

Officials said that all migrant family units will undergo basic tests to ensure they are fit for travel. The types of transportation for sending migrants between southern border sectors “include van, bus, and air travel.”