President Donald Trump’s approval rating hit a fresh record low of his presidency in the NBC News /Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday that found a mere 38 percent of Americans have a positive view of the commander in chief’s job performance. That marks a five-point decline from September and brings it perilously close to May, when the president’s approval rating was at 39 percent.
“This is his worst showing of his young presidency so far,” said Democratic pollster Fred Yang of Hart Research Associates, who was part of the team that conducted the survey. The decline in support is particularly notable among several groups that have long been seen as a key part of Trump’s base. Support from whites declined from 51 percent to 47 percent, and it was even more steep among whites without a college degree—from 58 percent to 51 percent.
Trump’s personal rating is also declining, as only 36 percent of Americans view him in a positive light, compared to 54 percent who see him negatively.
The poll, which was conducted October 23-26, is also in line with other surveys that have been released recently and suggest a fraying of Trump’s base. A Fox News poll released earlier this month put Trump’s approval rating at 38 percent as well and pointed to a significant drop in support among white people without a college degree. In that demographic, approval of the president plunged to 56 percent, compared to 68 percent the previous month.
The poll released Sunday also has some good news for Democrats as voters look toward next year’s midterm elections. Almost half of registered voters say they prefer Democrats to control Congress, compared to 41 percent for Republicans.
