He’s not going to take this one with a pinch of salt, is he? Tracking data from The Economist now shows that President Trump is currently more unpopular with the American public than he ever has been before – and that includes approval ratings from both his first and second term.
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Donald Trump approval rating: It’s not looking good for him…
‘The Donald Slump’ has been exacerbated in recent weeks by the US government shutdown, with warring sides of Congress failing to reach an agreement on budget funding. This malaise, alongside generally negative views on his immigration and economic policies, has taken its toll.
As of Sunday 2 November, Trump has a net approval rating of -18. This surpasses anything seen in the nine years since he was first elected into office. After a swashbuckling return to the Oval Office, he maintained a positive favourability score for the first couple of months.
However, by mid-March, the tracker shifted him towards a net-negative figure, which has been steadily declining over the last seven months or so. Pinning his hopes on international diplomacy, the self-appointed ‘president of peace’ has not seen recent ceasefire agreements move the needle.
Photo: The Economist
President sees youth voters abandon him
Instead, Trump is rapidly losing support across almost every aisle. A detailed breakdown of these numbers show that there isn’t a single age demographic that has an overall positive view of the Republican leader – although those aged 45-64 are split evenly (49% approve, 49% disapprove).
His approval rating among the youth is truly a sight to behold. According to The Economist, a whopping 75% of voters aged under 30 disapprove of President Trump’s recent performance. It’s also worth noting that neither Joe Biden nor Barack Obama saw their numbers dip as low as this.
Trump approval rating could slide even lower…
And yet, it could still get much worse for Mr. Trump. His redevelopment of the White House – where parts of the iconic building were torn down to make way for a ballroom – received widespread criticism. Threats to deploy the military to Venezuela have also caused murmurings of discontent.
However, his repeated threats to consider running for a third term as president – something prohibited by their constitution – has even rubbed some of his biggest supporters up the wrong way. But with his popularity waning, any attempt to keep Trump in power will be met by fierce opposition.
Other polls, including this from Silver Bulletin, also have Trump’s net approval rate reaching an historic low…