POLLS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen 6 points in the last month and stands at a new low among political independents, according to a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS. Overall, just 36% approve of the way the President is handling his job, down from 42% in August. Among independents, the drop has been sharper, from 47% approval last month to 31% now. That’s 4 points below his previous 2018 low of 35% approval among political independents in CNN polling, and 1 point below his previous all-time low among independents in CNN polling, reached in November 2017. Trump’s numbers have slipped amid the release of an op-ed in The New York Times and reports about the Bob Woodward book that will be released Tuesday. Both paint a picture of a White House in chaos, with staffers actively thwarting the President’s agenda. A majority of Americans say the writer of the op-ed, an unnamed senior administration official, ought to publicly identify themselves (58% say so), and 55% think it is inappropriate for an administration official to work against the agenda of the president for whom he or she works. There are sharp partisan splits on both questions, with about 8 in 10 Republicans calling it inappropriate for a White House official to act against the president. About half of independents and about a third of Democrats say such behavior is inappropriate. Similarly, 85% of Republicans, 55% of independents and 43% of Democrats say the writer of the op-ed ought to identify themselves.”
–Jennifer Agiesta, “CNN Poll: Trump approval down 6 points in a month, hits low among independents,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, September 10, 2018 4:25 pm