President Donald Trump’s popularity plummets, as recent polls show him falling under a 40% approval rating. This decline happens only 115 days into the Trump presidency.
According to a recent Gallup poll from Monday, Trump’s job approval rating rests at 38%, the lowest his approval has been since the first of April. Another poll, by NBC and the Wall Street Journal, puts Trump’s approval at 39%, while Quinnipiac University Polls place him as low as 36%. This poll was taken before Trump fired FBI director James Comey, a decision that might make his polls even lower.
According to Real Clear Politics, Trumps polls on average reveal a 40.9% approval and 53.8% disapproval. These numbers mirror George W. Bush’s polls following both the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and his failed social security overhaul. Barrack Obama, by contrast, always managed to keep his approval ratings above 39%, according to NBC-WSJ polls; the former president’s lowest approval ratings were in September 2014, following House and Senate losses.
Let’s see how Trump stacks up to previous presidents on their 115 day in office. While Trump rests at a 38% approval rating, Obama boasted a 64% approval rating, Bush with 56%, and Bill Clinton with 45%.
These numbers should leave Republicans nervous when it comes to the 2018 ballot. Presidents typically lose an average of 36 seats in the house if their approval rating dips below the 50% mark. Democrats only need 24 seats to regain control over the US House, power that could allow them to shut down President Trump for the remainder of his term.
Although the 2018 election remains 540 days away, we must remember that all this data was collected before Trump fired Comey or revealed classified information to Russian officials, making the road to 50% long and difficult.
If Republicans lose in Montana on May 25 or Georgia on June 20, we can expect chaos in the ranks of the Republicans.