Poll: President Trump’s Popularity Slips

A new poll finds the popularity of the U.S. president has declined since spring.

In the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll, Donald Trump’s overall approval rating has tumbled from 42 percent in April to 36 percent. His disapproval rate, meanwhile, is on the upswing, rising five points to 58 percent, with 48 percent saying they “disapprove strongly” of the president’s performance, a level, The Washington Post says, that was never reached by former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, but was achieved in George W. Bush’s second term.

Almost half of the U.S. population, 48 percent, thinks the country’s standing in the world has deteriorated with the Trump presidency, while 27 percent say the country’s standing is stronger.

Russia and trust

Another 48 percent of Americans, when asked specifically about Trump negotiating with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said they do not trust Trump “at all.”

The poll was conducted after reports in The New York Times revealed Donald Trump Jr. and officials from his father’s presidential campaign met with a Russian lawyer and others who said they had incriminating information about Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

The meeting was called “inappropriate” by more than 6 in 10 Americans, with a quarter saying it was appropriate. Almost half of all Republicans, however, said the meeting was appropriate.

Split on economy

On the plus side, opinions about Trump’s economic proposals were evenly divided, with 43 percent of respondents approving and 41 percent disapproving. Trump also benefited from perceptions that the Democratic Party stands for nothing but opposition to the president.

Trump’s standing, at this point in his presidency, is the opposite of Obama’s and Bush’s, who both enjoyed a 59 percent approval rating at this point in their administrations. The Post said Trump’s popularity now is closer to that of Bill Clinton who had a record low of 43 percent approval rate in late June 1993, before it improved later in the year. Clinton had announced plans to raise taxes in February and was facing criticism after firing the White House travel office staff. 

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