DEMS/ELECTION/POLLS/RUSSIA/TRADE WARS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s political stumbles on Russia, his protracted trade war and his overall ‘impulsive’ behavior have deeply rattled potential voters, according to a new poll by a left-leaning group. A majority of respondents to the survey, commissioned by the nonprofit group National Security Action and first provided to POLITICO, believe the president has diminished America’s standing in the world and that he’s made the country less safe. Party strategists say the findings point to a new opening on national security and foreign policy for Democrats in the midterms. Those have traditionally been areas of strength for the GOP. Conducted by Hart Research from July 17-23, the survey showed that nearly two-thirds of those polled — including Democrats, Republicans and swing voters — believe Trump ‘acts impulsively and recklessly’ on national security issues, while three-in-five respondents said Trump doesn’t treat Russia seriously enough as a threat and that he had gone too far in trying to please President Vladimir Putin. Just two in five respondents believed Trump did a good job of representing America’s interests when the president met with Putin last month in Helsinki. However, a majority of those polled — 56 percent — approved of Trump’s overall handling of America’s national security.”
–Natasha Korecki, “Poll: Trump’s overseas ‘chaos’ gives Democrats an edge in midterms,” Politico, August 8, 2018 10:33 am