President Trump’s approval rating dropped to its lowest level of his second term, a shift fueled by a decline in support among independents, according to a new survey.
The latest Gallup poll found 37 percent of U.S. adults say they approve of the president’s performance in office — down from 40 percent in June, 43 percent in May and 44 percent in April.
Trump’s overall approval rating is also down 10 points since taking office in January.
The decline in job approval rating is most acute among independents — 29 percent of whom say they approve of Trump’s handling of the job in the latest survey. That’s down 7 points since June and down 17 points since January, the survey revealed.
Trump began his term with 46 percent approval among independents, but that dropped to the mid-30s for the past several months, before dipping into the high-20s in the July poll.
Among Republicans, 89 percent approve of the president’s handling of the presidency, a level that has remained largely consistent since his return to the Oval Office.
Similarly, Democrats’ approval of Trump’s presidency so far has hovered in the low-single digits since January, with just 2 percent approving in the latest survey.
Trump’s favorability mirrors trends seen in his approval ratings.
Among adults, 41 percent hold a favorable view of the president — down from 48 percent in January, the poll shows.
Independents view Trump far less favorably than they did six months ago — with 34 percent holding a favorable view today, down from 47 percent in January, according to Gallup.
The latest survey began shortly after the president signed into law his massive tax and spending bill, which contains a slew of the president’s domestic policy priorities.
The survey also overlapped with the growing frustration among Republicans over the government’s handling of files related to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Justice Department released a memo on July 7 — the same day the poll launched — concluding there was no evidence Epstein kept a client list and that officials would not pursue additional charges or disclose additional documents in the case.
The Gallup survey was conducted July 7-21 featuring 1,002 adults and has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
Â
