Poll: Donald Trump Approval Ratings At Historical Low For First-Year President

Donald Trump’s approval ratings for a first-year president remain at historically low levels, according to Politico’s assessment of several recent polls.

Even with modest upticks, a Politico/Morning Consult poll now finds the president’s approval at just 43 percent. Meanwhile, Gallup now pegs Trump’s approval at 40 percent, compared to an even more abysmal 38 percent at the end of August.

A RealClearPolitics average of recent surveys places Trump’s approval at 40 percent, up just three points on his low-water mark of just over 37 percent in late August.

Pollsters attributed the president’s slight recent uptick to his early handling of two major hurricanes, Harvey and Irma.

Still, Politico noted his 40 percent average approval rating lags every other elected president in the era of modern polling at this point in their first terms.

Several recent polls further indicate Trump’s slight bounce boils down to Republicans and independents who were already supporters of his reaffirming their positions, and not an extension of his base.

In the Politico/Morning Consult poll, his approval among GOP voters spiked seven points from low-water levels to 80 percent overall. With independents, his approval jumped from 35 to 40 percent.

A recent Marist College poll also shows slight improvement, with Trump’s overall approval rating bouncing from 35 to 39 percent and his support among Republicans climbing from 79 to 87 percent.

“There has been some rallying behind President Trump for his handling of hurricanes Harvey and Irma,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. “But his improved standing is seen only among his core supporters. He is still unable to reach beyond his base.”

Meanwhile, Marist pollsters found only 33 percent of voters approved of the president’s recent decision regarding the Deferred Action for Immigrant Child Arrivals issue.

The Trump administration announced it will wind down the program and might start mass deportations if Congress is not able to come up with a solution over the next six months.

Overall, 57 percent of Marist respondents disagreed with Trump’s decision.

In the Politico/Morning Consult poll, 35 percent of respondents approved of the president’s actions on DACA, while a majority 45 percent disapproved.

According to CNN, Gallup nightly poll results from September 1 through 17, also showed Trump’s approval among younger GOP voters could use some shoring up.

Overall just 69 percent of younger Republicans voice support for him, compared to 84 percent of those over 50, thus pegging his disapproval rating among the younger crowd at nearly double the level of that of his older supporters.

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