Illinois
Illinois Republican delegates believe Trump will win regardless of whom he faces in November
MILWAUKEE (CBS) — As the Democrats sort out who their nominee will be—with pressure growing for President Biden to withdraw—Illinois’ Republicans are unbothered by whom former President Donald Trump faces come November.
At their breakfast Thursday—which ended with a rousing rendition of “God Bless America”—Illinois Republican delegates gave high marks for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. They thought vice presidential nominee JD Vance was a big hit.
They also think the disarray on the Democratic ticket is not a problem, but an opportunity. The delegates signaled total comfort and confidence with where things sit four months before the election.
With the increasingly likely scenario that Joe Biden will step aside, CBS News Chicago asked the GOP delegates what they think will happen—and what they would like to see happen—in the next few days as Mr. Biden makes his decision on whether to stay in this race.
U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-Illinois) said moving Vice president Kamala Harris to the top of the ticket is the most logical step if Mr. Biden withdraws.
“It’s going to be very hard for them not to move up the vice president. That will be very hard to sell if they don’t do that,” said Bost. “I don’t care which one they put up. Right now, Donald Trump is going to beat them. Donald Trump is going to beat them.”
Illinoi state Rep. John Cabello (R-Machesney Park) also said he former President Trump to win regardless of whom he faces.
“I don’t think President Trump really cares who the next nominee is if it’s not Joe Biden,” said Cabello. “I mean, I think you see right now that the country is ready for the change back to President Trump. I think he wins in a landslide no matter who it is.”
President Biden arrived at his Delaware home Wednesday night, where he is recuperating from COVID-19. He will be sidelined for at least a few days as he self-isolated.
Former President Barack Obama is now reportedly questioning if Mr. Biden is the right candidate to face Trump in November, according to the Washington Post. He is the latest high-profile Democrat to do so, as several national news reports also cite sources questioning the future of Mr. Biden on the ticket.
One name that has been talked about as a possible replacement on the Democratic ticket as president or vice president is Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. But on Thursday, Pritzker said he was sticking with Mr. Biden.
“Look, I am supporting the nominee of the Democratic Party that right now is our {resident Joe Biden. So I’ve been campaigning—I went to Ohio and Indiana last weekend to campaign for President Biden, Vice President Harris—so I’m going to continue to do that,” Pritzker said Thursday. “He’s apparently going to be our nominee. He’s chosen to be our nominee.”
CBS News on Thursday released brand-new polling data showing Trump with his biggest lead yet. He is now up five points nationwide—with 52% preferring him, compared to 47% for President Biden.
Meanwhile, former President Trump was set to speak at the last night of the convention Thursday. The Illinois delegation has noted the leader of the MAGA movement has been less animated and more relaxed than we have grown accustomed to, and they expect that to translate to a different style of speaking Thursday night—likely to be less firebrand Trump and more contemplative.
“As all of you have seen over the last couple nights, what I noticed about President Trump—there’s a resolve about him; a reflectiveness as he sits in that box, and you never know how almost being assassinated can affect you, but it’s I think had a very positive effect on our party, and brought us together as I mentioned earlier,” said U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Illinois). “Tonight, I think we will see that in the speech, and I think it will be great for our party.”
Millions of asylum seekers have been impacted as caseloads have grown
A general crackdown on immigration courts the administration sees as liberal has led to the firing of dozens of immigration judges.
Recent polls show President Donald Trump’s approval ratings continue to dip as the war in Iran endures and national gas prices float above $4.
One such poll conducted by CNN/SSRS illustrates widespread upset among Americans with regards to Trump’s handling of the economy and inflation. Here’s how Trump’s approval ratings look nationally and within Illinois, as of April 20.
Donald Trump approval rating: CNN
Only 31% of Americans approve of how Trump is handling the economy, compared to 39% in January 2026, according to the poll.
The decline in approval on the issue is even higher among Republicans, especially Republicans under 45 years old, according to CNN.
In the poll, President Donald Trump received his worst approval rating yet in either of his two terms on the economy.
CNN findings show about two-thirds of Americans say Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions, and 27% say they approve of Trump’s handling of inflation.
CNN also reported 63% of Americans say the prices at the pump have caused financial hardship in their household, including 15% calling it “severe.”
The poll, conducted March 26-30 among 1,201 U.S. adults, found 35% approve of Trump’s job performance overall. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
One poll respondent told CNN and the pollster about the most important issue facing the country: “Prices! Everything is so expensive. Makes it very difficult to do anything other than work and go home. Trips to the grocery store are ridiculous! Between gas and grocery prices, we are poor!”
Trump addressed the concerns about gas prices in his address to the nation on April 1, saying the Strait of Hormuz would reopen when the conflict was over and the prices would fall again.
Trump reaffirmed his promise about the strait on April 18, saying his administration had “very good conversations going on” with Iran after the country said the strait would not be reopened.
Donald Trump approval rating in Illinois: Civiqs
Trump’s job approval rating in Illinois, as of April 18, according to data from online survey platform Civiqs, is as follows:
- Approve — 32%.
- Disapprove — 65%.
- Neither — 4%.
Donald Trump national approval rating: Civiqs
Trump’s national approval rating as of April 13, according to data from Civiqs, is as follows:
- Approve — 39%.
- Disapprove — 57%.
- Neither — 4%.
Donald Trump approval rating in Illinois: The Economist
Trump has a -36% net approval rating in Illinois as of April 20, according to data from The Economist.
Donald Trump national approval rating: The Economist
Trump’s national approval rating as of April 20, according to data from The Economist, is as follows:
- Approve — 38%.
- Disapprove — 56%.
- Don’t know — 7%.
Trump, Iran War approval rating: Pew Research Center
A Pew Research study conducted in mid-March found that about six-in-ten Americans (61%) approve of Trump’s handling of the conflict in Iran, with 39% approving.
A report released in early April found that the largest concern for most Americans as a result of the conflict is higher gas prices, with 69% saying they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the issue.
Other Trump approval rating polls as of April 20
Here is a look at some other polling aggregators to understand how CNN/SSRS’s poll compares to the average Trump approval numbers as of April 20:
RealClearPolitics Poll Average: 41.2% approve, 56.6% disapprove.
The New York Times: 40% approve, 56% disapprove.
Silver Bulletin: 39.7% approve, 56.4% disapprove.
Which president has the lowest approval rating ever?
Although Trump has dropped to a historic low in approval rating polls this term so far, he hit a 34% low in the first term and other recent presidents such as Joe Biden hit a 36% low, Barack Obama hit a 40% low, George W. Bush hit a 25% low and Bill Clinton hit a 37% low, according to the Gallup polls, whose recorded lowest rating was Harry Truman with 22%.
As for the highest presidential approval ratings, George W. Bush holds the highest approval rating ever recorded at 90%, while his father, George H. Bush holds the second highest at 89%.
Trump is the only president that has not reached a 50% or higher approval to date in the Gallup polls’ history.
CENTRALIA, Ill. – An investigation is underway after multiple people were shot Sunday in Centralia, Illinois, according to a report from WFCN News in southern Illinois.
FOX 2 has confirmed the Illinois State Police is investigating a shooting and taking over the investigation, but ISP could not confirm many further details as of 9 p.m. Sunday.
“The investigation is in its infancy and to protect the integrity of the investigation, no additional details will be released at this time,” ISP said in a statement to FOX 2.
According to WFCN News, the shooting happened around 5 p.m. near the 900 block of East Kell Street in Centralia. Multiple law enforcement agencies have since responded to scene and multiple victims are hospitalized, according to the report.
It’s unclear how many people may have been injured and what led up to the shooting.
Centralia, Illinois is about 70 miles, or just over an hour, east of St. Louis.
This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.
The National Weather Service has teams of storm surveryors in the field April 18 investigating several reports of severe storms and tornado touch downs across eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois and northeast Missouri.
According to the weather service’s website, windgusts of up to 60 to 70 mph along with teacup-sized hail and several tornadoes were reported April 17.
Many homes and outbuildings were damaged, trees were uprooted and power lines were downed in Lena, Illinois, where the most significant damage occurred, the site pointed out.
Very strong winds also were reported near Washington, Iowa, and Colmar, Illinois, where several outbuildings and grain bins were destroyed.
The weather service received reports of confirmed and possible tornadoes in the areas of Lena, Pecatonica, Shirland, Rockton, Roscoe and Capron.
The teams will be assessing damage this weekend into next week along with county emergency management teams to determine what types of storms occurred and their paths.
Dozens of power outages were reported, as well.
As of the afternoon of April 18, ComEd was reporting 85 active power outages across northern Illinois, down from 241 on April 17, and 6,751 customers affected, down from more than 18,000.
The bulk of those outages and the most customers impacted are concentrated in Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties.
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