Mar 1, 2017 - Politics & Policy

White House cites CNN poll where Obama and Bush outscored Trump

Jack Gruber / AP

In @cnn poll 78% of @POTUS #JointAddress watchers say positive, 69% say policies will move country in right direction, 69% more optimistic— Sean Spicer (@PressSec) March 1, 2017

The news looks good: 57% of respondents to a CNN poll last night had a "very positive" reaction to Trump's speech.

But the context makes it look less sexy: 68% gave former President Obama a "very positive" reaction to his first joint session, compared to 66% for former president George W. Bush.

The same pattern came out on moving the country in the right direction, with 69% saying Trump would do that. Again, a good number, but Obama scored 88% in 2009, and Bush 91% in 2001.

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Axios
Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 5 p.m. ET: 18,912,947 — Total deaths: 710,318— Total recoveries — 11,403,473 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 5 p.m. ET: 4,867,916 — Total deaths: 159,841 — Total recoveries: 1,577,851 — Total tests: 58,920,975 — Map.
  3. Politics: Pelosi rips GOP over stimulus negotiations: "Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn" — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine tests positive.
  4. Public health: Majority of Americans say states reopened too quickly — Fauci says task force will examine aerosolized spread.
  5. Business: The health care sector imploded in Q2 — More farmers are declaring bankruptcy — July's jobs report could be an inflection point for the recovery.
  6. Sports: Where college football's biggest conferences stand on playing.
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