The 100th day in office for President Trump approaches, and the former real estate mogul faces an uphill battle against slumping approval ratings, according to several polls conducted over the weekend.
Data collected by ABC News and the Washington Post suggests only 42 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s performance as president so far, compared to 53 percent who disapprove. Not only is this a departure from precedent—previous, similar polls of past presidents average about a 69 percent approval rating—it is the lowest approval rating at this point of any president since 1945.
Other polls have not been kinder to Trump, and in some cases are even worse. A poll conducted by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal pegs Trump at 40 percent approval, down a full four percent from information collected in February.
As several pundits have noted, the 100-day mark tends to be a high point for presidents, with most approval ratings falling in the time following the historical marker.
Former President Barack Obama’s numbers through his first 100 days compare favorably to Trump’s. ABC News polled Obama at 69 percent approval (26 percent disapproval) at a similar point in his first term, on par with the historic average. NBC News found that only 35 percent believe Trump’s presidency has gotten off to a good or great start, compared to 54 percent who felt the same about Obama in 2009.
The polls also highlight sharp divides amongst people from different demographics. Whites without a college degree are one of the driving forces of Trump support, with the President winning approval of 56 percent of that demographic in the NBC poll. Only 34 percent of whites with a college degree approve of Trump, versus 57 percent who disapprove. The involvement of Trump’s daughter and son-in-law, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, has been a sore spot amongst the majority polled (61 percent disapprove) but they were met with approval by three groups: Republicans, evangelical white Protestants, and conservatives.
A majority of people polled doubt Trump’s trustworthiness, see him as out of touch, and do not believe he has accomplished much in his first 100 days.
