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Trump gets historic low approval during first days in office: Poll

Tuesday, 24 January 2017 1:55 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 24 January 2017 6:24 PM ]

US President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, January 23, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

US President Donald Trump has started his term in office with the highest disapproval rating among Americans since former President Dwight D. Eisenhower entered the White House in 1953, according to a new poll.

The poll, conducted by Gallup, found that 45 percent of Americans disapproved of the way Trump was handling his new job as president, while the same percentage approved of Trump’s job and 10 percent did not have an opinion yet.

Trump now holds the record for the highest initial job disapproval rating as well as the lowest initial job approval rating in Gallup surveys dating back to Eisenhower, who served as the 34th US president from 1953 until 1961.

Division has been a common theme in Americans' reactions to Trump since his presidential campaign began in 2015, and it remained the operative dynamic during the inauguration ceremony, Gallup said.

A separate Gallup poll conducted last month found that many Americans were skeptical Trump could handle major presidential responsibilities, including dealing with challenging foreign policy matters such as an international crisis or using military force.

Trump was one of the most unpopular candidates ever elected as president, according to opinion polls. His Democratic opponent in the 2016 presidential election race, Hillary Clinton, also had high unfavorable ratings.

Demonstrators protest near the White House for the Women's March on Washington, January 21, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Although Trump defied political experts as well as some historical election patterns in winning the presidency, it appears likely that he is beginning his administration with far less support from the American people than other recent presidents.

People across the US and around the world have held demonstrations against Trump's presidency since his inauguration on Friday.

A massive Women’s March on Washington drew over half a million people in the nation’s capital on Saturday and over 2 million in other cities across the US.

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