Trump Says He Is 'Doing Great' Despite Low Approval Rating
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President Trump has said he is 'doing great', even though his approval rating has dropped to a record low. He has rejected this unfavorable polling as unimportant.
An approval rating measures how many people support the way a leader is doing their job. A record low means this is the worst result ever recorded for him.
Trump downplayed the results while traveling to Nebraska, a state in the central United States. He went there to support local Republican candidates.
Republicans are one of the two major political parties in the United States. The other main party is the Democratic Party.
Trump's visit comes ahead of the US midterm elections. Midterms are elections held partway through a president's four-year term, when many seats in Congress are decided.
Congress is the part of the US government that makes laws. It has two parts: the Senate and the House of Representatives.
By traveling to Nebraska, Trump hopes to boost support for Republican candidates running in these elections. A strong result could help Republicans keep control of Congress.
Despite the negative polling data, Trump has continued to present a confident public image. He insists that the numbers do not reflect how well he believes he is performing.
The trip reflects a common pattern in US politics, where presidents often travel to key states to support their party before important elections.
Vocabulary10 words
- approval rating
- a number showing how many people support a leader
- downplay
- to say something is less serious than it really is
- Nebraska
- a state in the central United States
- Republican
- a member of one of the two main US political parties
- midterm elections
- US elections held in the middle of a president's term
- Congress
- the part of US government that makes laws
- candidate
- a person trying to win an election
- polling
- surveys that ask people's opinions
- record low
- the lowest level ever measured
- term
- a fixed period someone holds a political position
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Quiz
Answer key
1. It has fallen to a record low 2. To support Republican candidates 3. Elections held partway through a president's term
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
President Trump has said he is '_____', even though his approval rating has dropped to a record low.
He has rejected this unfavorable _____ as unimportant.
An approval rating measures how many people _____ the way a leader is doing their job.
Trump downplayed the results while traveling to _____, a state in the central United States.
He went there to support local _____ candidates.
Trump's visit comes ahead of the US _____ elections.
Midterms are elections held partway through a president's four-year _____.
_____ is the part of the US government that makes laws.
By traveling to Nebraska, Trump hopes to boost support for Republican _____.
A strong result could help Republicans keep control of _____.
Despite the negative _____ data, Trump has continued to present a confident public image.
He insists that the numbers do not reflect how well he believes he is _____.
Discussion questions
- Why might a president downplay bad polling results?
- Do you think public opinion polls accurately reflect how a leader is doing?
- Why do presidents often travel to support candidates before elections?
- How important are midterm elections compared to presidential elections?
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