Polls: Majority in 3 key states 'embarrassed' by Trump

By Eli Watkins

August 20, 2017

A suite of new NBC News/Marist polls has found that majorities in three key states that helped tip the election for President Donald Trump now say they feel "embarrassed" by his conduct in office.

The polls released Sunday show that nearly two-thirds of registered voters in Pennsylvania (63%), Wisconsin and Michigan (both 64%) said they are embarrassed by Trump's conduct as President, while only about a quarter of registered voters in those states said they are "proud" of it.

Trump's approval ratings in those states are slightly better but still show that most disapprove of his performance.

In Michigan, 36% of registered voters said they approve of Trump's job performance and 55% disapprove, while in Pennsylvania 35% approve and 54% disapprove, and in Wisconsin 34% approve and 56% disapprove.

Trump did better among respondents on the economy. Forty-two percent of registered voters in Michigan said Trump's decisions have strengthened the economy, while 39% said he has weakened it. In Pennsylvania, 45% said he has strengthened the economy compared to 38% who said he's weakened it, and in Wisconsin, voters split 41% each way.

The polls also measured whether respondents see former President Barack Obama and independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders favorably or unfavorably. In all three states, the percentages of registered voters who have a favorable impression of Obama was in the low 60s, with those who view him unfavorably in the low- to mid-30s. For Sanders, the percentages of those who see him favorably ranged from the low to high 50s, while those who see him unfavorably hovered in the low to mid-30s. 

The polls also found that 48% of voters in Michigan would prefer to see Democrats win majorities in Congress in next year's election, while 35% would rather Republicans stay in control.

In Pennsylvania, 47% would like to see Democrats win majorities, versus 37% who prefer the GOP retain control, while in Wisconsin, the margin is slightly narrower, with 46 percent wanting to see Democrats win compared to 38% who prefer the GOP.

Trump's stunning victories in all three states, which Obama carried in 2008 and 2012, helped vault him to an electoral win over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton last year.

The polls were taken from August 13-17, after Trump's initial response to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. The polls surveyed 795 voters in Michigan, 773 in Pennsylvania and 801 in Wisconsin and have a margin of error of ±3.5 percentage points.