This is only going to get uglier for Donald Trump

| 1:24 pm EDT May 23, 2020
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We’re watching the gradual erosion of Donald Trump’s support in the polls with each passing day – and this is probably something eating away at him more than anything to do with Russia, Iran, his own impeachment or COVID-19. He only thinks about these very complex issues only in terms of how they affect him – that’s why showing grief in any shape or form is something he’s managed to avoid even when we’re looking at the loss of over 100,000 Americans in the weeks to come.

His polling, however, is another story. In the past, he’s been able to pick and choose his favorite polls that show him enjoying high support – even if they’re only polling Republicans, a political party that’s been shrinking quite rapidly in the last three years. Now, even the most conservative polls don’t have a whole lot of good news to offer, and it’s harder than ever to shield Trump from the reality: that he’s nowhere near as popular as he thinks.

There will probably always be outlying polls that show Trump ahead or tied that the media will play up between now and November, rather than presenting these polls in the context of averages, but there’s one particular metric that’s probably gotten under Donald Trump’s skin. Despite the protests to reopen America and Trump’s recent tweet that America was “Transitioning back to greatness,” a new set of polls show that the overwhelming majority of people aren’t falling for it – even a solid majority of Republicans.

According to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll from Wednesday, 77% of Americans and 57% of Republicans are “very concerned” or “concerned” about there being a second wave of COVID, despite Trump’s reassurances that it won’t happen. The same poll also shows that the majority of Americans, Republicans included, believe it will be at least six months before things can go back to normal. Another poll by AP-NORC found similar results, meaning this is part of a worrying trend. Trump’s not convincing – and he’s likely to be even less so in the wake of another outbreak. Even if he were able to magically reopen the economy like he claims, it wouldn’t automatically refresh to how it was in 2017 – he’d be left with nothing to brag about.