Polls across the political spectrum continue to show a steady decline in Donald Trump’s approval rating. For example, a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll put the president’s approval rating at 33 percent, down 14 points from the start of his second term.

Not all polls have his numbers that low. However, a Cook Political Report aggregate of polls has Trump’s approval rating at 38.5 percent, while 59.4 percent disapprove. Still, there are a few states where a majority of voters remain solidly behind Trump, and one of them is West Virginia.

The Economist, using data from YouGov, determined that Trump’s approval rating is underwater in every state except West Virginia, Idaho, and Wyoming. “Underwater” means more voters disapprove of his job performance than approve.

Trump’s net approval in West Virginia is plus six points. Wyoming has the highest net approval, at plus 14, while Idaho is at plus 9.

West Virginia has consistently been Trump country. He has carried the state easily in three elections: by 42 points in 2016, by 39 points in 2020, and by 42 points again in 2024. Mark Blankenship, a Republican pollster in West Virginia, says there are several reasons why Trump remains strong in the Mountain State.

“Trump has an uncanny ability to communicate. He says things West Virginians want to hear, especially on domestic policy,” Blankenship said.

Trump is unpopular with West Virginia Democrats, and he has lost ground with independents.  Two out of three independents say they voted for him in the last election.  However, a more recent survey this month by the nonpartisan polling firm State Navigate found that 62 percent of West Virginia independents now disapprove of Trump while only 35 percent approve.

However, Trump remains solid with the state’s dominant Republican Party. “More than four in five Republicans approve of the job he is doing,” Blankenship told me. His messaging also came at a time when national Democratic candidates largely ignored the state.

“No president in recent years has talked about the economic needs of West Virginia more than Donald Trump has,” Blankenship said.

I pressed Blankenship on this point: gas is $4.20 a gallon, grocery prices are higher, and the state continues to struggle to provide economic opportunities. Why isn’t Trump getting the blame for all that? He said West Virginia has faced economic challenges for a long time, so this is nothing new to voters here.

“Yes, there is economic despair among West Virginia voters, but I also believe and recognize that these economic issues were not created overnight and will not be solved overnight,” he told me.

Of course, the political landscape is constantly shifting. The disapproval that has taken root in 47 other states, and the growing dissatisfaction among independents, could eventually catch up with Trump in West Virginia. But for now, Trump remains extraordinarily popular in the state.

As Blankenship concluded, “It may be a little premature for people to try to write the political obituary of Donald Trump in West Virginia.”