Poll: Bernie Sanders is most popular U.S. politician
Sen. Bernie Sanders is the politician who received the highest favorability rating among people in the U.S. in a new Harvard-Harris poll.
The survey found that 57 percent of the public view the Vermont independent favorably while 32 percent said they view Sanders unfavorably. Hillary Clinton defeated Sanders in the Democratic primary for president last year. The next two most popular politicians among the public are Vice President Mike Pence and President Trump -- each with 44 percent viewing them favorably.
On the other end of the spectrum, Mr. Trump’s chief strategist at the White House, Stephen Bannon, received the lowest favorability rating with only 16 percent viewing him that way.
The survey also found that half of the country believes it’s headed in the wrong direction while 36 percent said they think it’s on the right track. Fourteen percent said they don’t know or are unsure.
Forty-eight percent said they either strongly or somewhat approve of Mr. Trump’s overall job while 52 percent said they strongly or somewhat disapprove of his job as president. A plurality, 32 percent, named stimulating American jobs as the top priority the president and Republicans in Congress should focus on.
The poll also asked about the president’s decision to authorize U.S. missile strikes earlier this month against the Syrian regime in response to a deadly chemical attack in the country. Sixty-three percent said they approve of the strikes and 37 percent said they disapprove.
On the other hand, the poll found 48 percent approved of Mr. Trump’s handling of North Korea, but 52 percent disapprove. If diplomacy is unsuccessful, 45 percent said they would favor airstrikes on the nuclear facilities in North Korea and 55 percent said they would oppose that action.
The poll surveyed 2,027 registered voters between April 14 and 17, but Harvard-Harris uses a methodology that don’t produce a regular margin of error.