Every now and then the catastrophic failure that is emblematic of Donald Trump’s presidency is revealed in the bizarre behavior of its own bewitched disciples. The StormTrumpers are an extraordinarily blind following of cultists who are oblivious to any bad news concerning their misanthropic Messiah.

That single-minded devotion and self-delusion explains how a pretend billionaire fooled millions into believing that he is a man of the people; how an adulterous, serial sexual offender convinced evangelicals that he is a saintly servant of God; how a notorious liar and cheat is worthy of their trust; and how a treasonous admirer of brutal, authoritarian tyrants is seen by his fanatics as an icon of liberty.

It also explains the reaction from TrumpWorld to a new poll released by Harvard CAPS/Harris. The results of this survey show that Trump has an approval rating of 48 percent and a disapproval of 52 percent. Having a majority of voters with a negative view is hardly anything to brag about. Except, that is, to Trump and his confederacy of bootlickers. Never mind that the poll’s methodology is not widely respected as it consists of a static panel of online respondents.

Still, 48 percent is a high water mark for a loser president who has never cracked 50 percent. But it still means that most Americans are put off by the president who thinks that he’s everyone’s favorite, even if he does say so himself (here and here and here and here and here and here and here). It’s also notable that this poll is an outlier that exceeds the average of recent polls which is currently about 43 percent.

Nevertheless, the Trump Brigades are out in full force cheering about these pathetic numbers. They have managed to shut their eyes to the other findings in the poll that show that only 39 percent of voters say the country is on the right track. Or that only 37 percent say they would definitely or probably vote for Trump in 2020. These intrusions of reality are dutifully ignored by the likes of these fawning suck-ups:

• Official Team Trump
• Matt Wolking, Deputy Director of Communications for Trump’s 2020 campaign.
• Kimberly Guilfoyle, Senior Adviser for Trump’s 2020 campaign (and Don Jr’s girlfriend).
• Charlie Kirk, President of the rightist group Turning Point USA.
• Bill Mitchell, right-wing radio yakker.
• The Daily Caller, website founded by Fox News host and white nationalist Tucker Carlson.
• Jim Hoft, aka Gateway Pundit, aka Stupidest Man on the Internet.
• Infowars.

All of the above and more tweeted gleefully that the this poll marked “the highest point in two years” for Trump. And they genuinely believe that it’s a real accomplishment to poll underwater two years into your presidency. That kind of psychosis is apparently contagious as it replicates the same strain that Trump is suffering from. Although Trump’s symptoms are far worse. Just last week he was ragging on the “fake news” and bragging that “my poll numbers are very good. […] If you people would give straight news I’d be at 70. I’d be maybe at 75.”

Yeah, right. At this point it might be best to just humor him. He could blow an artery. After all, a couple of months ago Trump tweeted the results of a poll reported by Fox News that showed with a 55 percent approval rating. Unfortunately, Fox mixed up the numbers. That was his disapproval rating. Fox actually corrected the mistake on the air, but Trump’s tweet is still live.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.