New research shows that Donald Trump is the most unpopular president in recent years by a longshot.
Of all the recent presidents, that is, everyone from Ronald Reagan onward, Donald Trump has the worst approval ratings. As his presidency continues, they fall further. This factoid may come as no surprise, but what might is the degree to which he's tailing behind his predecessors.
In recent poll findings published by Pew Research Center, Trump's highest rating so far in his first year is 39 percent. For reference, the only other president to score that low during their first year was Bill Clinton, which the AV Club speculates might have to do with his “suspicious” decision to fire some employees of the White House Travel Office or the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act Of 1993.
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A spin on the phrase often attributed to Marilyn Monroe comes to mind. "If you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." Frankly, it seems Americans can neither handle nor deserve Trump.
Another interesting finding from the poll is that of all the recent presidents, George W. Bush hit the highest approval rating his first year at over 80 percent. Given the time frame, it's more than likely due to his response post-9/11.
For every decision a president makes, there are people who praise it and people who condemn it. No president will be able to make everyone like the choices they make. However, these recent findings suggest that Trump's approval ratings might be a result of more than that.