The news media has ramped up negative coverage of President Trump, seeking to distract Americans from his very real accomplishments. Yet Mr. Trump’s popularity continues to rise. Is this due to the president’s grit? Could be. Consider that he’s got tenacity and street smarts. Mr. Trump enjoys what he does, works on his own terms, stays on task and is steady on the long march, leaving panicked sprints to Democratic rivals. The president also adds his own brand of drama, humor and pushback; he aims high in his goals, but never forgets the down-to-earth folks who voted for him.

That’s old-school true grit on this Independence Day, and it’s compelling enough to engage a loyal following, and a global audience hungry for political spectacle.

Meanwhile, a sizable “media fail” is contributing to Mr. Trump’s increasing popularity according to John Nolte, editor-at-large for Breitbart.com.

“President Trump’s job approval rating improved by five points during the establishment media’s manufactured outrage over Trump continuing the Obama administration’s policy of separating illegal alien adults from children at the border. According to the Real Clear Politics poll of polls, on June 8, Trump’s approval rating rounded out to an average of 42 percent, while his disapproval rating averaged 54 percent — a 12 point gap. As of Monday July 2, after two weeks of being pounded by the entire media over border enforcement, Trump’s approval rating has climbed to 44 percent, and his disapproval rating has dropped to 51 percent — a seven point gap,” Mr. Nolte writes.

“That is a five point improvement during the very ‘scandal’ the media predicted would be remembered as ‘Trump’s Katrina,’ meaning an issue that could drive public approval of a president into the dirt forever. Part of that improvement is due to 10 point surge in support from — wait for it, wait for it — Hispanic Americans,” he adds, recalling recent immigration coverage which included “hoax photographs” and recordings of crying children.

“Not only is Trump in better shape now than before this fake news jihad, the public is increasingly siding with him on border and immigration issues, including 51 percent support for the border wall,” Mr. Nolte says, citing a CBS poll.

REAGAN’S FOURTH OF JULY REMINDER

The National Retail Federation reports that 216 million Americans will celebrate the Independence Day this year, spending $7 billion on their cookouts alone. Retail aside, what’s past is prologue on days like this. Ronald Reagan had a reminder for Americans when he spoke to the nation from the deck of an aircraft carrier in New York City harbor on July 4, 1986.

“The things that unite us — America’s past of which we’re so proud, our hopes and aspirations for the future of the world and this much-loved country — these things far outweigh what little divides us,” the 40th president told Americans.

“And so we reaffirm that Jew and gentile, we are one nation under God; that black and white, we are one nation indivisible; that Republican and Democrat, we are all Americans. Tonight, with heart and hand, through whatever trial and travail, we pledge ourselves to each other and to the cause of human freedom, the cause that has given light to this land and hope to the world,” Reagan advised. “My fellow Americans, we’re known around the world as a confident and a happy people. Tonight there’s much to celebrate and many blessings to be grateful for.”

THE NATION’S MOST PATRIOTIC BUSINESSES

An ambitious new study reveals what businesses Americans consider to be patriotic. Brand Keys, a marketing consultant, asked 5,000 U.S. consumers to evaluate the patriotic leanings of 297 familiar U.S. brands and businesses. The results revealed the top-50 brands which the nation deems most patriotic, at least in terms of how these businesses present their image, and the “national pride” it conveys.

“The nation’s hyper-partisan mood was reflected in the survey as both right-leaning Fox News, and progressive-tilting MSNBC made the survey,” writes John Harrington, an analyst for 24/7WallStreet.com who pored over the findings.

“Facebook and the National Football League both appeared in last year’s survey of the most patriotic brand list. Both, however, failed to make the cut this year. Facebook fell off likely because of data-sharing and privacy concerns. The NFL tumbled out of favor over the lingering controversy tied to players protesting racial inequality during the playing of the national anthem before games,” Mr. Harrington said.

Without further ado, here are the top-50 most patriotic brands as cited by the survey respondents: Jeep was in first place, followed by Disney, Coca-Cola, Ford, American Express, Hershey’s, Twitter, Jack Daniel’s, AT&T, Walmart, Levi Strauss, Ralph Lauren, Coach, Amazon, Apple, MSNBC, Fox News, McDonald’s, KFC and Pepsi. That rounds out the top 20.

Then it’s Coors at No. 21, followed by Sam Adams, Instagram, Kellogg’s, Gibson, Old Navy, John Deere, Craftsman Tools, L.L. Bean, J. Crew, Gap, Tesla, Google, Starbucks, Colgate, Gatorade, Harley-Davison, Marlboro, the San Francisco 49ers and Converse. That’s the top 40.

And in the final 10 which made the cut, we have the Dallas Cowboys at No. 41, followed by Louisville Slugger, New Balance, Nike, the New England Patriots, Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees, UnderArmour, Wrangler and Wilson Sporting Goods at No. 50.

POLL DU JOUR

• 72 percent of Americans feel proud to be an American; 90 percent of Republicans, 61 percent of independents and 66 percent of Democrats agree.

• 71 percent overall say traditional political parties and politicians “don’t care about people like me”; 67 percent of Republicans, 76 percent of independents and 72 percent of Democrats agree.

• 70 percent overall say they are “fatigued watching the news”; 67 percent of Republicans, 74 percent of independents and 73 percent of Democrats agree.

• 66 percent overall say American “needs to be made strong again”; 83 percent of Republicans, 66 percent of independents and 50 percent of Democrats agree.

• 65 percent say the mainstream media is “more interested in making money” than “telling the truth”; 81 percent of Republicans, 70 percent of independents and 49 percent of Democrats agree.

Source: A USA Today/Ipsos poll of 1,004 U.S. adults conducted June 26-27.

• Happy Fourth of July, and thank you for reading Inside the Beltway.

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