Snapshot: Republicans Share Trump's Dim View of Sessions.
Byline: Frank Newport
Synopsis: U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has a net-negative image among all Americans, including Republicans. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has a net-positive image.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- President Donald Trump's continued attacks on U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions appear to have resulted in Republicans themselves adopting a negative view of the embattled Alabamian. While 32% of Republicans view Sessions favorably, 40% view him unfavorably and 27% don't have an opinion. When Republicans' views are combined with the far more negative than positive views of independents and Democrats, Session's image among all Americans ends up 25% favorable and 49% unfavorable.
Sessions was among the first senators to formally endorse Trump in February 2016 as Trump's campaign for the Republican nomination began to gain steam. Trump, in turn, rewarded Sessions with the attorney general position. But after Sessions recused himself from the process of appointing a special counsel to look into possible Russian interference in the 2016 election, Trump has turned on him, routinely criticizing Sessions in public statements. Most recently, Trump said in an interview: "I don't have an attorney general," and "I'm very disappointed in Jeff. Very disappointed."
Sessions' negative rating among Republicans stands in contrast to the very positive ratings that Republicans give another cabinet member, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who in August was viewed favorably by 63% of Republicans, and unfavorably by 14%. Republicans are also very positive about other Trump administration officials, including Vice President Mike Pence and Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
It is not unprecedented for an attorney general to have a net-unfavorable image among Americans. Eric Holder, attorney general for much of Barack Obama's presidency, had a 25% favorable, 35% unfavorable image in June 2014, and Alberto Gonzales, attorney general in George W. Bush's second term, had a 26% favorable, 38% unfavorable image in March 2007. But in contrast to Sessions' unpopularity with Republicans, Holder had a positive image among Democrats in 2014, and Gonzales had a positive image among Republicans in 2007.
John Ashcroft, attorney general in Bush's first term, measured six times by Gallup from 2001 through 2004, and Bill Clinton's attorney general, Janet Reno, measured nine times from 1993 to 2000, were consistently given more favorable than unfavorable ratings by...
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