Sorry, Donald Trump. Sen. Bernie Sanders is the most popular politician in America.
A Fox News poll released on Thursday found that 61 percent of respondents have a strong or somewhat favorable view of the independent Vermont senator and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate. For President Trump, that number dips to just 44 percent.
Planned Parenthood, the healthcare non-profit often targeted by Republican lawmakers, also enjoys a better favorability rating, with 57 percent of those polled holding a strong or somewhat favorable view of the organization. That’s a seven-point jump over the previous Fox News poll, which found a 50 percent approval rating for Planned Parenthood, which stands to have its federal funding cut under the House Republicans’ plan to replace the Affordable Care Act.
Even Obamacare, the embattled 2010 healthcare law, enjoys a 50 percent favorability rating. That number remains unchanged since January.
President Trump’s approval rating—which ranks the job he is doing rather than the man himself—remains historically low, at 43 percent, down from 48 percent in the same poll from February. That aligns with Trump’s current average approval rating of 43.9 percent and sits in the middle of other polls conducted during the same period.
The Fox News poll was conducted from March 12 to 14, and it includes responses from 1,008 registered voters.
Although Trump has low approval at the moment, Congress can only hope to hit his level of popularity. Just 32 percent approve of the job Democrats in Congress are doing, while 29 percent approve of the job Republicans are doing.
On the issues, the economy sits at the top of voters’ concerns, with 33 percent saying Trump should focus on job creation. “Destroy ISIS” is the second most pressing concern for voters, with 23 percent saying that should be Trump’s priority. Just 7 percent want him to focus on repealing and replacing Obamacare, while a mere 3 percent said cutting federal regulations and building a wall on the U.S.–Mexico border should be Trump’s top priority.
