Popularity slump for Trump
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump nears the 100-day mark of his administration as the least popular chief executive in modern times, a president whose voters remain largely satisfied with his performance, but one whose base of support has not expanded since he took the oath of office, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Trump’s first months in office have produced some tangible successes. Beyond the continued enthusiasm of his most loyal supporters, a small majority of Americans see him as a strong leader. A bigger majority approves of his efforts to pressure US companies to keep jobs in this country. Those who say the economy is getting better outnumber those who say it’s getting worse by the biggest margin in 15 years in Post-ABC polling.
But the majority of Americans say Trump has not accomplished much so far. Meanwhile, he shows little improvement on his temperament and honesty, and while he has gained ground on empathy, more than 6 in 10 still say he does not understand the problems of people like them.
With a week remaining before his 100th day in office, Trump has yet to achieve a major legislative accomplishment, having been dealt a big setback when Republicans in Congress decided not to proceed with a vote on a health-care bill supported by the White House. His clearest achievement is the successful nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court seat previously held by conservative Justice Antonin Scalia.
Executive actions on trade, immigration, climate and government organisation have pointed to the direction Trump wants to take the country, though his controversial proposed entry ban that affects a number of Muslim-majority nations remains blocked by the courts. Trump and others in his administration have attacked the courts, accusing them of overreach, but nearly 6 in 10 people see the courts’ actions as a legitimate role for the judicial branch.
He has demonstrated his willingness to use military force, with strikes in Syria and the use of one of the biggest non-nuclear devices in the US arsenal in Afghanistan. But tensions with North Korea remain high, and the administration’s policy in the Middle East remains cloudy.
Trump’s approval rating stands at 42%, the lowest recorded at this stage of a presidency dating to Dwight Eisenhower. The poll finds 43% of Americans said they strongly disapprove of Trump’s performance.