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NBC News poll analysis shows Trump with 40% approval before midterm elections

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly left-leaning (67%).

4 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

NBC News’ final national poll before the midterm elections, presented by chief data analyst Steve Kornacki on Meet the Press, shows President Donald Trump with 40 percent approval and 60 percent disapproval, according to NBC News and The Independent. Kornacki said Trump is in worse shape heading into his second midterm than he was heading into his first, when his net approval was less negative. NBC News reports that Democrats hold a sizable advantage in the battle for control of Congress. TheBlaze reports that the poll found Democrats at 29 percent favorable and 52 percent unfavorable as a party, and Kornacki asked whether voters who disapprove of Trump will vote for Democrats given the party’s unpopularity.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. NBC News’ final national poll before the midterms shows Trump with 40 percent approval and 60 percent disapproval.

    One side only: the leftReported byLeft2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    NBC News, The Independent

  2. Kornacki said Trump is in worse shape heading into his second midterm than his first, based on net approval.

    One side only: the leftReported byLeft2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    NBC News, The Independent

  3. NBC News reports that Democrats hold a sizable advantage in the battle for control of Congress.

    One outletNBC News· Left

  4. Kornacki said the poll found Democrats at 29 percent favorable and 52 percent unfavorable as a party.

    One outletTheBlaze· Far Right

  5. Kornacki said only 26 percent of voters approve of Trump’s handling of the economy in NBC’s latest data.

    One outletThe Independent· Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side present reports Kornacki’s analysis of NBC News’ final pre-midterm poll, which documents negative numbers for Trump and the Republicans. The left stresses Trump’s weaker position than in 2018, while the right stresses Democrats’ unpopularity as a party.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Left headlines center Trump’s weaker standing in the NBC poll, with one headline quoting Kornacki that Trump is ‘in worse shape’ and The Independent noting a glimmer of hope for him.

    Kornacki: Why Trump is ‘in worse shape’ heading into his 2nd midterms
    NBC NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The only right-side coverage is TheBlaze, rated Far Right, which frames the poll around a ‘MASSIVE problem’ for Democrats and their party unpopularity rather than Trump’s approval.

    NBC polling analyst finds Sensational language“MASSIVE problem”The capitalized adjective amplifies the significance of the finding beyond what the poll data itself states.More neutral: problemDisagree with this highlight? for Democrats ahead of Election Day
    TheBlazeFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left1

    measly

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right1

    massive problem

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    measlyMore neutral: 40 percent approval rating

    The adjective judges a 40 percent approval figure as small rather than reporting the number itself.

    NBC’s latest polls have Trump with a measly 40 percent approval rating and 60 percent disapproval rating.

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Sensational language

    massive problemMore neutral: problem

    The adjective amplifies the significance of the finding beyond what the poll data itself states.

    …polling for Republicans and President Donald Trump before identifying one massive problem for Democrats.

    Used byTheBlaze (Far Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Trump’s weak approval numbers
  • Trump in worse shape than in 2018
  • Democrats’ sizable advantage for Congress

Leaves out

  • Democrats’ low favorability as a party, reported by TheBlaze

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Democrats’ unpopularity as a party
  • Democrats’ unfavorable ratings
  • Whether disapproving voters will back Democrats

Leaves out

  • Democrats’ sizable advantage for control of Congress, reported by NBC News

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • TheBlazeFar Right

    NBC polling analyst finds Sensational language“MASSIVE problem”The capitalized adjective amplifies the significance of the finding beyond what the poll data itself states.More neutral: problemDisagree with this highlight? for Democrats ahead of Election Day

    NBC chief data analyst Steve Kornacki outlined the latest polling ahead of the pivotal midterm elections. On Sunday , Kornacki documented some of the negative polling for Republicans and President Donald Trump before identifying one Sensational language“massive problem”The adjective amplifies the significance of the finding beyond what the poll data itself states.More neutral: problemDisagree with this highlight? for Democrats. …

    Read at TheBlaze (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    NBC News, Nov 1, 9:12 AM EST

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    1 day 7 hr later

    Its first report, Nov 2, 4:50 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. NBC NewsLeftNov 1, 9:12 AM EST
  2. The IndependentLeftNov 2, 3:54 PM EST
  3. TheBlazeFar RightNov 2, 4:50 PM EST

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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