6 out of 10 disapproves of Trump's national emergency statement: NPR

More than six out of ten Americans disapprove of President Trump's decision to declare a national emergency so he can raise barriers along the US border with Mexico, reveals a new NPR / PBS NewsHour / Marist poll.

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Nearly six out of ten also do not believe that there is an emergency on the southern border and that the president is abusing his presidential authority. They also believe that his decision should be challenged in court.

"All that is related to the declaration of a national emergency, the president strikes the court of public opinion," said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for the Public Opinion public, who conducted the investigation. "He maintains his base and few others."

Republicans and Trump supporters are firmly attached to the president, while Democrats and independents disapprove. These figures slightly exceed, but largely reflect, the president's overall popularity rating.

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"This is not a basic breaking problem," said Miringoff. "It's a problem of building up its base, but it's not a problem of expanding beyond its base."

So, to summarize: not much beyond its base like that; it's unprecedented; and the Americans are very polarized.

It's the history of the Trump presidency so far. Trump did little to go beyond his base, and this theory of politics – changing the base without winning the center – is going to be put to the test in 2020. That's part of what led the Democrats to win the 40 seats previously held by Republicans in mid-2018.

Some key figures of the survey:

– 61% disapprove, 36% approve Trump declaring a national emergency to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. (85% of Republicans approve, 84% of Democrats disapprove, 63% of independents disapprove)

–60% believe that his decision should be challenged in court, including 60% of independents

– 58% think there is no national emergency at the border. (84% of Republicans and 90% of Trump supporters believe it is so, Democrats and independents do not think so.)

– 57% think that Trump is abusing his presidential power. (89% of Democrats and 61% of independents think it is, compared to 80% of Republicans).

– 54% think this decision makes them less inclined to vote for Trump in 2020, but for the context, the president's disapproval rate in the January NPR / PBS NewsHour poll was 53%.

The NPR / PBS NewsHour / Marist survey was conducted from February 15 to 17 among 807 adults and with a margin of error of +/- 4.6 percentage points.