Gallup, ironically on Presidents Day, has released a poll that finds a record high number of Americans for the first time say “poor leadership” and “the government” are the nation’s number one problem. The number – 35% – is even higher than during the Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon.
That last time “poor leadership” and “the government” were close to this high – 33% – was when Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) led the 2013 government shutdown. Gallup notes that “few other issues have matched or exceeded the 35% currently mentioning the government.”
Right after the 9/11 attacks, “terrorism topped the list as the most important problem, peaking at 46% in October 2001.”
“The economy” came in at number one, at a huge 58%, in November of 2008, as the global economic crash destroyed life savings and stole homes and jobs from millions.
Currently, coming in at number two is “immigration,” likely thanks to the President’s relentless focus and spewing of falsehoods about immigrants constantly for close to four years, since his June 2015 campaign launch calling Mexicans “rapists.”
Healthcare, race relations, and unifying the country round out the top five, according to Gallup: