U.S. President Donald Trump is battling to restore his image after his approval rating for handling the federal government’s response to recent hurricanes dropped 20 points in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.
In mid-September, 64% of Americans said they approved of Trump’s handling of the U.S. hurricane response.
That finding followed his administration’s handling of hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which hit the U.S. mainland in late-August and September.
Now, as many Puerto Ricans remain without access to clean water or electricity nearly a month after Maria hit, just 44% say they approve.
In the weeks since Maria devastated the island, Trump’s response has vacillated between criticism and praise.
He has used his Twitter account to contend that local officials aren’t doing enough to help and has threatened to withdraw assistance from the island entirely.
At other times, he has praised the work of the military and first responders there.
In a Rose Garden news conference Monday, Trump mixed praise for the federal government’s response to the situation with criticism of local efforts, saying that ample supplies had reached the island but were held up by distribution issues.
