Trump averages highest approval rating of his presidency in second quarter: Gallup

President Trump’s job approval rating is near its all-time high and his second-quarter average is the best of his presidency, according to the latest data from Gallup.

From mid-April to mid-July, Trump’s 10th quarter in office, the president had an average approval rating of 42.7 percent. That topped his previous best quarter of 41.9 percent, which came during his sixth quarter in office.

{mosads}Gallup noted, however, that Trump’s job approval rating has fluctuated between a very narrow range of 36.8 percent to 42.7 percent, giving him a strong floor of support but a low ceiling.

And Trump’s current job approval is off its high mark of 46 percent, reached in mid-April, and stands at 44 percent as of July 12.

The Gallup data does not account for Trump’s latest controversy, in which he attacked four Democratic women of color in Congress, saying they should “go back” to where they came from.

At a reelection rally last night in North Carolina, Trump ramped up his criticism, provoking the crowd to break into a chant of “send her back” in reference to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), a U.S. citizen from Somalia.

The House on Tuesday passed a resolution condemning Trump’s remarks.

Trump’s 10th quarter average is good news for the president as he makes the case that U.S. economic strength will continue if he’s elected to a second term.

But his 42.7 percent 10th quarter average is historically low, ranking in the bottom 22 percent for presidents across every quarter dating back to 1945.

And it’s the second lowest 10th quarter average on record for an incumbent president heading into a reelection year, better only than former President Jimmy Carter, who was at 30.7 percent approval.

Former President Obama was 4-points higher than Trump, at 46.8 percent approval. Trump’s 10th quarter average is closest to former President Reagan, who was about 2-point higher, at 44.4 percent, at a time when the economy suffered from double-digit unemployment.

“Presidents Reagan and Barack Obama came back from roughly similar approval ratings to win re-election; however, both came into office during poor economic times and were operating with unemployment rates at or near double digits during their third years in office,” Gallup wrote.

“In contrast, Trump took office when the economy was generally healthy. He can point to improvements under his watch, most notably the recent 50-year low in unemployment, as well as solid economic growth and record stock values. Americans are likely already taking the good economy into account when evaluating Trump.”