Donald Trump Slammed For Bragging About 50 Percent Approval Rating Just Hours After Bush Funeral

Donald Trump was apparently anxious to take to Twitter to brag about a poll showing his approval at 50 percent, though critics wish he had waited at least a little bit longer.

Just hours after the funeral for departed President George H.W. Bush, Trump took to his favorite social medium, Twitter, to brag about a Rasmussen poll that put his approval at 50 percent, one of the few times during his presidency he has reached that mark.

As the Washington Post noted, the timing of his bragging tweet came under criticism.

“Although it’s not unusual for Trump to tweet about his higher-than-average polling numbers from Rasmussen, the timing of the tweet was peculiar, specifically on the day of Bush’s state funeral in which, as the Washington Post’s Philip Rucker noted, the president looked uncomfortable surrounded by all his living predecessors for the first time,” the report noted. “The message also came after the themes presented in the eulogies for the 41st president — ‘His life code was: Tell the truth. Don’t blame people. Be strong. Do your best. Try hard. Forgive. Stay the course,’ remembered Bush biographer Jon Meacham — offered something of a jarring contrast to Trump and his presidency.”

But Donald Trump wasn’t entirely honest in picking the Rasmussen poll, the Washington Post noted. The notoriously right-leaning pollster has not been in line with nearly all other recent polls, which show that Trump’s approval rating somewhere between 39 and 43 points. He has not reached 50 percent.

The timing would not have been surprising for those who follow Trump’s Twitter page closely. He has been known to tweet about nearly any poll that shows his approval higher than the mid-40s, and Rasmussen is one of his favorite pollsters.

Working hard, thank you! pic.twitter.com/3SoWTkZjP6

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2018

The criticism came after a week in with Trump remained mostly quiet and adhered to presidential norms regarding the death of a White House predecessor. The White House released a statement praising Bush and lamenting his passing, and Trump even made what the Washington Post called the “magnanimous gesture” of holding the funeral at the National Cathedral.

This was in contrast to the criticism Trump took after the death of political opponent John McCain. After McCain’s passing, the White House issued only a terse statement and Trump was criticized for returning the White House flags to full-mast after less than a day. They were again lowered to half-mast amid widespread criticism from both sides of the political aisle.