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Poll: Comey’s firing gets low approval; Trump’s support unmoved

Posted at 5:43 PM, May 14, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-14 17:43:46-04

WASHINGTON — Reaction to President Donald Trump’s decision to fire FBI Director James Comey tilts negative, an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday has found.

Twenty-nine percent of respondents said they approve of Trump’s decision, compared to 38% who disapprove and 32% who said they did not have enough information to provide an answer.

Those numbers change with party affiliation, however. Fifty-eight percent of Republicans said they approve of Comey’s dismissal, with 8% signaling disapproval and 33% with no opinion.

Despite the low overall level of support for the move, Trump’s approval rating was essentially unchanged from the last NBC/WSJ poll.

The new poll found 39% approve of Trump’s performance as President, while 54% disapprove and 7% are unsure. A mid-April poll pegged Trump’s rating at 40% approval, 54% disapproval and 6% unsure.

The poll of 800 adults was taken from May 11 to 13, with a margin of error of ±3.46 percentage points.

A Gallup poll taken from May 10 to 11 found slightly higher approval of Trump’s decision to fire Comey with fewer people undecided, with 39% approving, 46% disapproving and 15% having no opinion.

The NBC/WSJ poll also touched on Republican efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare. The House earlier this month passed the American Health Care Act, which Trump has said he supports.

The poll found 23% believe the bill is a “good idea,” 48% say it is a “bad idea” and 28% have no opinion.

A Quinnipiac University poll released May 11 found 21% of respondents said they approve of the bill, while 56% disapprove.