President Donald Trump is not as popular as he claims. But neither is he as unpopular as his opponents might like to think.

Respected polling averages — which you should absolutely heed more than individual polls — aren’t saying quite the same thing. Nate Silver’s Silver Bulletin’s most recent average clocks the president’s job approval rating at 44.2%; the RealClearPolitics average is 45.9%; and the Cook Political Report’s average is 42.9%.

The numbers are similar, but mentally, 46% and 43% can feel much different — after all, elections have been decided by slimmer margins.

Trump’s toplines

Either way, Trump’s “topline” job approval rating — the overall share of voters who approve of how he’s doing — is short of 50%, a vital sign that suggests poor political health for the president p

See Full Page