A majority of Americans now approves of President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus crisis, according to a poll released Friday, in a sharp pivot from his previously dire numbers. According to the ABC News/Ipsos poll, 55 percent approve of his performance, against 43 percent who disapprove.
This is the near exact reversal of the numbers in the survey taken by the same pollsters a week earlier.
The change reflects a determined effort by the White House to change the tone.
For weeks, Trump sought to play down the dangers from novel coronavirus, insisting that only a handful of people had been infected and that his Democratic opponents and the media were hyping the risks.
Since last weekend, however, Trump has presented a more somber approach and he now describes himself as a "wartime president."
The better polls also come as Congress and Trump work on a gigantic economic rescue package.
Trump faces a tight reelection battle this year and his likely Democratic opponent Joe Biden has called him unfit for handling such a national crisis.
The latest poll shows a softening in Democratic opinions about the president.
About 30 percent of Democrats now approve of Trump's coronavirus handling, which is about double the number last week. Among Republicans, the approval rating is 92 percent, up from 86 percent.
There was a party-line split over general fears of the viral disease.
The poll found 87 percent of Democrats concerned about getting coronavirus, whereas the number was only 66 percent for Republicans.