USA TODAY International Edition
One month in, Trump’s approval ratings lagging
New president is missing honeymoon
WASHINGTON One month after his inauguration, President Trump has seen his approval ratings sag and the political divisions of his election deepen.
A new president’s traditional honeymoon? Nowhere in sight.
Trump retains overwhelming support among Republicans. In the latest Pew Research Center poll, 84% of Republicans said they approved of the job Trump was doing as president, which is comparable to the ratings other newly elected presidents have gotten at this point among their partisans.
Unlike other new presidents, however, Trump hasn’t expanded his appeal to include those who didn’t help elect him. Just 8% of Democrats approve of the job he’s doing, by far the lowest standing for any modern president from the opposition party.
Overall, Trump’s approval ratings this month in surveys taken by telephone interviewers range from 39% in the Pew poll to 48% in a Fox News poll. His disapproval ratings range from 56% in Pew to 47% in Fox.
The Gallup Poll, which has been measuring newly elected presidents’ standings since Dwight Eisenhower, shows Trump in a historically weak position. His approval rating was 42% in the rolling three- day average posted Monday, up from a low of 38% last week. When he was sworn in, he was the first modern president to begin his term with a less- than- majority approval rating, 45%.
Trump’s standing has sagged as he prepares to deliver his first address to Congress on Feb. 28 — outlining his legislative agenda for the year — and propose his first federal budget. A robust rating can increase a president’s political clout, while a dismal one can embolden his opponents. And the first year of an administration typically has been the time presidents have had the most success in pushing their most ambitious legislative proposals through Congress.
Trump faces the demographic divide that defined his election, when he won the Electoral College but lost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton:
Women disapprove of the job he’s doing by a wide margin, 63%- 33%, in the Pew poll, while men are more closely divided: 48% disapprove- 45% approve.
Whites narrowly approve of Trump, 49%- 46%, while blacks and Hispanics overwhelmingly disapprove, 79% and 76% respectively.
Voters under 30 disapprove of Trump 69%- 28%. His standing improves as respondents’ ages rise; those 65 and older split 48% approve- 47% disapprove.