By Josh Bergeron

josh.bergeron@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — As President Donald Trump hits his 100-day mark in office, a poll released Wednesday shows his approval rating among North Carolina voters at 42 percent.

Released by Elon University, the poll examined a wide variety of topics, including comparisons to former President Barack Obama, Twitter, the media, national issues and approval ratings of other well-known politicians. The poll used data from 506 registered voters, who were surveyed between April 18 and 21.

When asked about Trump’s job performance as president, 42 percent of respondents said they approve, 51 percent said they disapprove, and the remainder said they are unsure or refused to answer.

In the poll, 49 percent of respondents said Trump is doing a worse job than Obama. But 56 percent of voters said Trump’s actions are consistent with his campaign promises.

For comparison, Elon University in November found that 44 percent of North Carolina voters were worried about Trump’s decisions if he became president.

Trump received 49.83 percent of the vote in North Carolina in the November election.

Elon’s poll also asked participants for favorability ratings of well-known figures in the White House. They include:

• Steve Bannon, the White House chief strategist, who received an 11 percent favorability rating. But the largest number of respondents — 48 percent — said they don’t know how well Bannon is handling his job.

• Ivanka Trump, the president’s oldest daughter, received a 47 percent favorable rating and a 32 percent unfavorable rating.

• Jared Kushner, who’s married to Ivanka Trump and is a senior adviser to the president, received a 20 percent favorable rating.  As with Bannon, most respondents — 51 percent — said they don’t know how Kushner is doing.

• Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, received a 25 percent favorable rating and a 44 percent unfavorable rating.

Tillis selected for Helsinki Commission

U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis this week was appointed to serve on the longstanding Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, the group ensures compliance with an agreement aimed to improve relations between Eastern and Western Europe and ease Cold War tensions. Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, is the second person from the state to serve on the commission. The other is Rep. Richard Hudson, R-Concord.

“It’s an honor to serve on the Helsinki Commission, an important component to strengthening America’s cooperation with Europe and promoting international peace and stability,” Tillis said. “Throughout its history, the Helsinki Commission has been a valuable platform that has shined light on human rights violations, human trafficking, and terrorist threats. Moving forward, I look forward to working with other commissioners to focus on a number of critical issues, starting with Russia’s slide back to authoritarianism and its increasing hostility against its neighbors.”

The Helsinki Commission was scheduled to hold its first hearing of the 115th Congress on Wednesday.

Hudson receives Friends of EMS award

The National Association of EMS Physicians presented U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-Concord, with the Friends of EMS award this week for his advocacy.

The association cited Hudson for a bill that would give paramedics and other EMS workers a standing order to administer narcotics, anti-seizure medications and other controlled substances. EMS professionals would not need a patient’s prescription in order to give life-saving medicine.

The bill passed the House in January and awaits consideration in the Senate.

“We are proud to present the Friends of EMS award to Rep. Hudson for his tireless work championing the Protecting Patient Access legislation,” said Dr. Brent Myers, the association’s president. “He is well deserving of this award, which is reserved for leaders who have produced change to improve national EMS policy. Rep. Hudson was crucial to the bill’s success in the House and continues to be a valued partner in NAEMSP’s mission to improve out-of-hospital emergency medical care.”

In a news release, Hudson said he plans to continue working with colleagues on bipartisan solutions to ensure EMS workers can do their jobs as effectively and safely as possible.

Contact reporter Josh Bergeron at 704-797-4246.