Poll: 85 Percent of Republicans Approve of Trump’s National Emergency to Build the Wall

Eighty-five percent of Republicans approve of President Donald J. Trump’s use of national emergency powers to build the southern wall, according to a poll released on Tuesday.

An NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found 85 percent of Republicans support President Trump’s use of the National Emergency Act and other executive powers to build the wall along the southern border. Eighty-seven percent also back Trump’s executive move to build the wall.

Ninety-four percent of Democrats oppose the measure, while 63 percent of Independents disapprove of Trump’s use of executive authority to build the wall.

An overwhelming amount of Republicans believe that a national emergency exists on the southern border. Eighty-four percent of Republicans say that a national emergency remains on the border, compared to seven percent of Democrats who think there is a crisis, while 37 percent of Independents who think there is an emergency at the border.

Lee Miringdoff, director of the Marist Institute, said that Trump’s move to build the wall would help reassure his Republican base, which will help his campaign as the country moves closer to the 2020 presidential election.

“All things related to the declaring of a national emergency, the president is striking out in the court of public opinion,” Miringdoff said. “He’s maintaining his base and little else.”

“This is not a break-his-base issue. This is a reinforce-his-base issue, but this is not an expand-beyond-his-base issue,” Miringdoff added.

Trump’s use of national emergency powers to build the wall appears that it will help him reassure his base. Eighty percent of Republicans said that the president’s use of national emergency powers will make it more likely to vote for him, compared to two percent of Democrats, while 29 percent of Independents said that his national emergency move would make it more likely to vote for the president in 2020.

Republicans across the political spectrum backed Trump’s use of national emergency powers to build the wall. House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-NC), Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN), and Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) backed Trump’s use of national emergency powers to build the wall.