President Donald Trump continues to ride a wave of popularity with recent polling. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker downplays those numbers.
Trump won the popular vote and the Electoral College vote in November, sweeping all of the swing states. Since taking office Jan. 20, his approval rating according to YouGov is at 53%, higher than anytime during his first term that started in 2017.
Trump said he’s doing what he was elected to do, and the public sees that.
“I have high approval ratings because I’m using common sense,” Trump said Monday in the Oval office.
Taking executive actions to prohibit biological men from playing in women’s sports and focusing on border security are some of the policies Trump touted.
“I think it’s a 90% issue, and the amazing thing is Democrats are still fighting for it,” Trump said of his transgender order. “It’s crazy.”
He also said it’s common sense to crack down on illegal immigration and deporting non-citizen migrants in the country illegally, things he campaigned on and won on.
Pritzker said Trump may be popular across the country, but not in Illinois.
“You can look at one poll and say ‘oh gee, he’s popular in some places in the country.’ Frankly I look at what’s happening to working class families as a result of his policies and I’m speaking out against that,” Pritzker said.
While Trump may be popular across the country, he isn’t in Illinois the governor said.
“And, importantly, I’ve expressed what I think is the danger that our residents in our state face as a result of policies that he’s putting in place,” he said.
In November’s election, Trump got nearly 44% of the vote. In 2020, he got 40.6%. In 2016, Trump got 39.4%.