WASHINGTON — A majority of Americans say President Trump has not accomplished much during his first nine months in office, and they have delivered a report card that is far harsher even than the expectations they set for him when he was sworn into office, according to a Washington Post-ABC News survey.
Trump has an approval rating demonstrably lower than any previous chief executive at this point in his presidency over seven decades of polling. Fewer than 4 in 10 Americans, 37 percent, say they approve of the way he is handling his job.
Trump’s approval rating has changed little over the past four months, which have included tumultuous events, from hurricanes to legislative setbacks to indictments in special counsel Robert Mueller III’s investigation into the role Russia played in the 2016 campaign.
The president’s disapproval rating has reached 59 percent, with 50 percent saying they strongly disapprove of the job he is doing. While little has changed since summer, both represent the worst marks of his presidency.
He is the only president dating back to Harry S. Truman whose approval rating at this point in his presidency is net negative — by 22 points. The next-worst recorded in that time was for Bill Clinton, who had a net positive of 11 points by this time in his presidency.
Trump began his presidency with modest expectations on the part of a public that was divided coming out of last year’s contentious election. Roughly 100 days into his presidency, 42 percent said he had accomplished a great deal or a good amount while in office. Today, that has declined to 35 percent.
Meanwhile, 65 percent say he has accomplished ‘‘not much’’ or ‘‘little or nothing.’’ This is up from 56 percent last spring. Forty-three percent give him the lowest possible rating, saying he has accomplished ‘‘little or nothing.’’
At the 100-day mark of Trump’s presidency last spring, Americans were split almost evenly on the question of whether he was keeping most of his major campaign promises, with 44 percent saying he was and 41 percent disagreeing. Today the verdict is more severe, with 55 percent saying he is not keeping most of those promises.
The public sees Democrats acting mostly as an opposition party, rather than offering ideas. Asked if the Democratic Party is presenting alternatives or mainly criticizing the president, 61 percent said mainly criticizing, identical to the percentage who said this of Republican Party leaders one year after Obama’s election. Only a plurality of Democrats, 47 percent, say their leaders are offering alternatives.
On four key issues, Trump has not matched early expectations, and majorities give him negative reviews. Those issues are the economy, race relations, health care, and dealing with the threat of terrorism.
Trump points to what he sees as significant accomplishments in the economy, with the stock market at record levels, unemployment at a 17-year low, and growth in the past two quarters at 3 percent.
