With disapproval spiking, White House responds to impeachment calls by citing nonexistent support

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) has plainly stated that Donald Trump is leading himself into impeachment. When asked about Waters’ statements, White House press secretary Sean Spicer dismissed calls for impeachment by citing nonexistent support for Trump’s policies and presidency:

Spicer responds to @MaxineWaters impeachment comments by citing nonexistent widespread support for Trump policies #fakenews pic.twitter.com/HtbQBkcgOm

— Tommy moderna-vaX-Topher (@tommyxtopher) February 7, 2017

REPORTER: Hi Sean, just a quick question: Any response to the calls for impeachment by Representative Maxine Waters?

SPICER: No.

[Press room clamors]

SPICER: I would just say, look, I think, look the President is doing everything he can to move this country forward. And I think, whether it’s the Democrats in the Senate who are trying to stall these nominees or these little political stunts on the House side, the bottom line is, I think, by and large you see the support that the president is receiving for his policies throughout the country. And it’s because, I think, people recognize, A. that business as usual is over and that the president’s commitment to both keeping this country safe and growing the economy and creating jobs is something that is welcome by all Americans, regardless of party. I think when you see stuff like that, I think it really just shows that they really missed the message that voters sent this past November.

But polling data continue to indicate that none of what Spicer said is actually true. In a new poll from Quinnipiac, a majority of Americans — 51 percent — oppose Trump’s 90 day ban on travel from seven Muslim-majority nations; 60 percent oppose the 120-day ban on refugee travel; and a whopping 70 percent oppose the indefinite halt of Syrian refugees coming into the U.S.

Gallup also updated its approval and disapproval ratings, which have been historically low since Trump took office. Just 42 percent of Americans approve of the job Trump is doing, and his disapproval rating is a full twelve points higher at 54 percent — an increase from previous weeks, demonstrating increasingly unpopularity not only of Trump’s policies, but of the man himself.

Even if Spicer were making the argument based not on current poll numbers but on the November election, it still would not pan out, considering Trump lost the popular vote by a margin of three million.

Nothing about Trump’s presidency is popular. Spicer’s continued reliance on the claim of widespread support is simply a bald-faced lie.