Poll finds diminishing American pride in the Trump era

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/poll-finds-diminishing-american-pride-trump-era-n1231079


Poll finds diminishing American pride in the Trump era
Trump has boasted that he's "restoring" American "pride." It's a nice idea, but there's evidence suggesting his presidency has had the opposite effect.
June 15, 2020, 12:35 PM EDT
By Steve Benen

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But it's the trajectory that's so striking: Gallup has been polling on this question every year for two decades, and the results have been relatively steady, with between 81% and 92% of the country saying they were "extremely proud" or "very proud" to be an American.

That number slid to 75% in 2017 -- Trump's first year in office -- and proceeded to slide a bit lower every year since, including 63% this year.

For historical purposes, it's difficult to compare this number to previous eras that may have produced similar results. Gallup's report doesn't include, for example, data from the Watergate era.

But the poll's results point to a certain Trump-era malaise that's the opposite of the effect he expected to have.

Complicating matters for the White House and its allies, the shifts are not explicitly partisan. Gallup's report added, "Republicans have historically been more likely than Democrats and independents to say they are extremely proud to be American throughout the past 20 years. Although Republicans still report more acute pride than Democrats and independents, the latest poll finds a 9-percentage-point decrease in Republicans' national pride. This marks the largest year-over-year decline in the percentage of Republicans who say they are extremely proud."

Trump is "restoring our confidence and our pride"? It's a nice idea, but there's data pointing in the opposite direction.