U.S. President Donald Trump sets a record of having the lowest average approval rating during a president's first year in office.
According to Gallup, a research-based consulting company that has been tracking job approval ratings since 1945, Trump's average approval rating stood at 38.4 percent, which is significantly lower than what previous presidents had during the first year of their term. It is well below former President Bill Clinton's first-year average of 49.3% for the period of 1993–94. It may be noted, though, that Trump's ratings have never dipped below 30 percent, which is something that happened to former presidents George W. Bush, Richard Nixon, and Jimmy Carter in the latter years of their respective terms.
Statistically speaking, Trump's low approval rating is unusual, considering that American presidents usually enjoy a fairly high approval rating in their first year, which is described as the presidential "honeymoon period" during which many Americans are still content with how presidents carry out their roles. Approval ratings typically drop consistently as a president stays longer in office, as the leader inevitably deals with issues and controversies.
The drastic drop in Trump's ratings has not exactly been unprecedented since he also had the lowest approval ratings compared to his predecessors in his first few months. Nevertheless, it is notable to mention that 83 percent of Republicans approve of his work performance.
Last Tuesday, Trump delivered his first State of the Union address, where he highlighted his administration's first-year accomplishments. According to Nielsen, as reported by USA Today, an estimate of 45.6 million viewers tuned in to Trump's speech via 12 broadcasts and cable networks. The turnout was lower than the 48 million people recorded during former President Barack Obama's first State of the Union speech in 2010.
