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Trump’s Approval Numbers Are Tanking, Especially Among Uneducated Whites and Independents

A recent Quinnipiac University poll showed that 58 percent of Americans believe President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office were “mainly a failure.” (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Things aren’t looking too good for President Donald Trump, whose approval numbers have plummeted to near-record lows, according to polls released this week.

A Quinnipiac University Poll, out Wednesday, May 10, showed that just 36 percent of voters are happy with Trump’s performance as new Commander-in-Chief. Meanwhile, 58 percent of Americans expressed dissatisfaction with his job performance thus far.

The dismal numbers come just weeks after the president saw a slight jump in approval following his ordered airstrike on a Syrian airbase in April. The new poll, which surveyed 1,078 voters nationwide from May 4-9, indicated that Trump suffered significant losses among uneducated whites, white men and independent voters.

“There is no way to spin or sugarcoat these sagging numbers,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. “The erosion of white men, white voters without college degrees and independent voters, the declaration by voters that President Donald Trump’s first 100 days were mainly a failure and deepening concerns about [his] honesty, intelligence and level-headedness are red flags that the administration simply can’t brush away.”

Americans aren’t too fond of the president on a personal level either, according to the poll. For instance, just 33 percent of participants said they felt Trump was honest, compared to 61 percent who thought otherwise. Only 41 percent of voters agreed that the ex-reality TV star possessed good leadership skills, while 59 percent said they felt he doesn’t care much about average Americans.

When it came to voters’ opinions on how Trump is handling the economy, 52 percent of Americans felt he could use some help in that area. Meanwhile, 44 percent of participants approved of his handling of U.S. policy toward North Korea, while 45 percent also liked the way he’s combating terrorism.

Some might point to the president’s rash decision to fire FBI director James Comey for the lagging numbers, but the poll was conducted days before then.

Other key findings of the Quinnipiac University Poll include:

  • 58 percent of voters describe Trump’s first 100 days in office as “mainly a failure,” while 38 percent say they’ve been “mainly a success.”
  • Only 41 percent of voters agree that the president is intelligent; 56 percent disagree.
  • 37 percent of American voters disapprove of the way the media covers/portrays Trump.
  • 57 percent of participants said they trusted the media more than the president to tell them the truth about important issues.
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