After months of record lows, the final results are in: At 39 percent, President Donald Trump's average approval rating for his first year in office is lower than any other president in recorded history, according to Gallup polling.
Trump's average is a full 10 points below that of President Bill Clinton, who held the previous low with an average approval rating of 49 percent during his first year in office.
"Americans usually give their new presidents the benefit of the doubt," the Associated Press notes, "but Trump's 'honeymoon period,' to the extent he had one, saw his approval rating only as high as 45 percent."
The results align with an earlier poll conducted by the Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which showed that a majority of Americans hold "a broadly pessimistic view of Trump's presidency, the nation's politics, and the overall direction of the country."
Trump's current approval rating—based on Gallup's new weekly model—is comparable to his first-year average, at 38 percent.
A Quinnipiac poll published last week offers some insight into why so many Americans consistently disapprove of the president. That poll found the majority of Americans believe Trump is not honest, does not have good leadership skills, does not care about average Americans, is not level-headed, and is not fit to serve as president.
The Quinnipiac poll asked respondents to grade Trump's first year in office; 39 percent gave him an "F," and 17 percent gave him a "D."
"It's been a very tough freshman year for President Donald Trump, by any measure," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. "The president is a long way from the dean's list in the eyes of voters."
